State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said that 2017 was a banner year for job creation and employment in the Middle Georgia area.

The 11-county Middle Georgia region ended the calendar year with 4,210 more employed residents, 2,348 more people in the workforce, and an unemployment rate down .9 percent.  

“This is a very good year for the Middle Georgia area,” Butler said. “All of the major indicators trended in the right direction. I’m expecting the same will continue in 2018.”

The region also gained 274 employed residents last month. Middle Georgia area ended 2017 with 209,724 employed residents.

The Middle Georgia labor force, the number of residents with jobs and those unemployed but actively looking for work, grew by 269 in December. The area posted a labor force total of 220,277 at year’s end.

In December, 1,498 initial claims for unemployment insurance were filed, up by 50 percent from the previous month. In comparison to last December, initial claims are down by 10 percent.

Meanwhile, the region’s unemployment rate fell from 5.7 percent to 4.8 over the 12-month cycle. The December rate, at 4.8 percent, was unchanged from the previous month.