Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that the Southwest Georgia region’s unemployment rate and claims both fell in August. 

At the same time, the 14-county area saw its labor force and number of employed residents dip down.  All major indicators are remain positive for the year.

"Our communities across the state continue to thrive,” Butler said. “Local economies continue to add jobs and see other indicators like employment and labor force grow over time.  It has become almost routine for some of our local areas to set records.” 

The August unemployment rate fell to 4.4 percent, down by .3 from July. That ranked seventh among 12 regional commissions. It was 5.7 percent one year ago.

The labor force fell in August by 2,035 to reach 150,279 total members. The number has climbed by more than 100 over the past 12 months, or an average gain of more than 8 per month. 

The Southwest Georgia region lost 1,542 employed residents in August, pushing its total to  143,650. That number has grown by more than 2,000 over the past year, or an average monthly gain of about 166.   

Initial claims for unemployment fell by about 11 percent for the month. They are down by about 10 percent when compared to last August.  

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 726 active job postings in the Southwest Georgia region for August. 

The Southwest Georgia Region includes Baker, Calhoun, Colquitt, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Grady, Lee, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, Terrell, Thomas, and Worth counties.