Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Southwest Georgia saw positive over-the-month measures for nearly every key indicator in March.

“We had another strong month in March,” said Commissioner of Labor Mark Butler. “We saw the unemployment rate drop in every single region and county, along with an increase in jobs across the state and most importantly, a decrease in over-the-year initial claims for every region and county.”

In Southwest Georgia, the unemployment rate decreased by 0.5 percentage points, bringing the rate to 4.5 percent. A year ago, the rate was 4.1 percent.

The labor force increased in March by 80. The March total was 149,986. That number is down by 1,162 from the total from March 2020.

Southwest Georgia ended March with 143,180 employed residents.  The number increased by 719 in March and was down 1,776 as compared to last year.

Initial claims for unemployment increased by 20 percent in March. When compared to last March, claims were down by about 43 percent.

GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 2,755 active job postings in Southwest Georgia for March.

Visit gdol.ga.gov to learn more about career opportunities, Employ Georgia, and other GDOL services for job seekers and employers.  Don’t forget to connect with us on social media.