State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said that 2017 was a banner year for job creation and employment in Central Savannah area.

The 13-county Central Savannah region ended the calendar year with 7,508 more employed residents, 6,129 more people in the workforce, and an unemployment rate down .8 percent.  

“This is a very good year for the Central Savannah area,” Butler said. “All of the major indicators trended in the right direction. I’m expecting the same will continue in 2018.”

The region also gained 1,698 employed residents last month. Central Savannah area ended 2017 with 203,389 employed residents.

Central Savannah’s labor force, the number of residents with jobs and those unemployed but actively looking for work, grew by 1,817 in December. The area posted a labor force total of 214,046 at year’s end.

In December, workers filed 1,894 initial claims for unemployment insurance, up by 35 percent from the previous month. When compared to December 2016, initial claims are up by 4.5 percent from 1,813.  

Meanwhile, the region’s unemployment rate fell from 5.8 percent to 5 percent over the 12-month cycle. The December rate, at 5 percent, was unchanged from the previous month.