Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Macon’s labor force increased in January, starting 2020 in a positive fashion. 

According to preliminary data, the five-county metropolitan statistical area (MSA) also showed an annual increase in employment this January.

“Over the year, we are still seeing positive data and our unemployment rates are still some of the lowest ever on record,” Butler said.

In Macon, the unemployment rate increased 0.7 percentage points in January, reaching 3.7 percent. A year ago, the rate was 4.6 percent.

The labor force increased in January by 316 and ended the month with 103,527. That number is down 282 when compared to January of 2019.

Macon ended January with 102,700 jobs. That number decreased by 1,400 from December to January, a traditional occurrence after the holiday season, and decreased by 100 when compared to the same time a year ago.

Macon finished the month with 99,729 employed residents.  That number decreased by 340 over the month but is up by 701 when compared to the same time a year ago.

The number of unemployment claims went up by about 87 percent in January. When compared to last January, claims were up by about 1 percent.