Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Augusta posted an excellent March as most critical job measures trended in the right direction again.
 
Augusta ranked 9th among Georgia’s 14 metropolitan statistical areas with a 4.4 percent unemployment rate, down .3 percent from last month. The rate was 4.8 percent a year ago.
 
Butler noted jobs and employed residents, increased - again. At the same time, unemployment claims dropped.
 
“It’s good to see such a strong report in March,” Butler said. “So many of our local communities are trending in the right direction in terms of job creation and hiring. And, we are even seeing records in many places.”
 
In March, the number of employed residents in the Augusta area, at 262,887, was an all-time high. That number was up by 873 over the month and 9,804 for the year.
 
Jobs climbed by 1,100 in March to 242,200. The change over the past 12 months was 6,800.
 
The area reported strong growth in private services.
 
The Augusta labor force ended March at 274,967. That number is down 38 over the month and up 9,051 over the past 12 months.
 
Georgia’s 14 metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) had unemployment rates that varied from a low of 3.3 percent in Gainesville to Dalton ’s 5.3 percent. All 14 trended lower in March.
 
Initial claims for unemployment were down about 2 percent for the month and about 15 percent for the year.
 
The seven-county MSA includes the counties of Burke, Columbia, Lincoln, McDuffie, Richmond and Aiken and Edgefield in South Carolina.