The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that the unemployment rate in the Three Rivers region in March was 5.6 percent, down three-tenths of a percentage point from 5.9 percent in February. The rate in March 2015 was 6.4 percent.
The rate declined as the number of employed residents increased by 1,564 to 223,251, and the number of initial claims for unemployment insurance declined by 306, or 18.3 percent, to 1,367. Most of the decrease came in manufacturing, wholesale trade, and accommodations and food services. And, over the year, claims were down by 255, or 15.7 percent, from 1,622 in March 2015.
Three Rivers’ labor force increased by 1,129 to 236,593.
Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.5 percent, while the River Valley region had the highest at 6.9 percent.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for March was 5.5 percent, up from 5.4 percent in February. It was 6.2 percent in March 2015.
State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said job seekers and employers should use the GDOL’s online job listing service, www.employgeorgia.com to search for jobs or recruit new employees. In March, 1,983 jobs in the Three Rivers region were posted on Employ Georgia. Throughout the state, 78,986 jobs were posted.
Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.dol.georgia.gov.
