Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that the Middle Georgia region saw its unemployment rate decline as it added to its workforce in March.

The 11-county area also posted monthly losses in labor force, while claims for unemployment decreased, preliminary numbers show.

“We are moving into the Spring with a strong jobs report,” Butler said. “The national economy is booming. Georgia is also producing strong numbers consistently across the state.”

The unemployment rate fell in March. The rate dropped 0.3 percentage points in March, settling at 4.0 percent. A year ago, the rate was 4.4 percent.

The labor force decreased in March by 503. The March total was 219,703. That number is down by 1,939 from the total from March 2018.

Middle Georgia ended March with 210,958 employed residents.  The number increased by 156 in March but went down 1,015 as compared to last March.

The number of unemployment claims decreased in March by less than 1 percent. When compared to last March, claims were up by 22 percent.