Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Augusta prospered even as the state saw generally down numbers in April for several cities.
 
In Augusta, the April unemployment rate fell sharply while the number of employed residents and total jobs both climbed to record-setting numbers.
 
At the same time, unemployment claims rose and the labor force decreased slightly.
 
“Even though we did see some fluctuations in the employment and workforce numbers across the state, job growth continues to be very strong,” Butler said.
 
Augusta added 3,000 jobs in April, pushing its total to 245,400. That was an increase of 7,300 over last April. Augusta was one of just three metropolitan statistical areas to grow by 1,000 jobs or more in April.
 
The number of employed continued to grow as well. Augusta added 1,849 employed residents in April, ranking first among 14 MSAs. At 264,872 total employed residents, Augusta was up by 9,556 for the year – an all-time high.
 
The unemployment rate dropped by .8 percent to 3.6 percent. It was 4.5 percent last April. Augusta ranked tied for fifth among Georgia’s 14 MSAs.
 
Augusta, though, didn’t escape April without some challenges.
 
The labor force dropped by 340 to 274,773 in April but remains up by 7,539 for the year. Only one MSA, Brunswick, added to its work force during the month.
 
Initial claims for unemployment also rose by 24 percent for the month and by 22 percent from last year. Six of the 14 MSAs saw claims rise in April.
 
The seven-county MSA includes the counties of Burke, Columbia, Lincoln, McDuffie, Richmond and Aiken and Edgefield in South Carolina.