Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said the Central Savannah River Region posted a strong February as critical job measures trended in the right direction.  
 
Butler noted employed residents and labor force both increased. At the same time, the unemployment rate fell and unemployment claims dropped.
 
“It’s good to see we picked up this year right where we left off from 2017,” Butler said. “I expect Georgia will have a very good 2018. And, it’s great to see so many of our local communities have gotten off to a good start.”
 
In February, the number of employed residents in the Central Savannah River Region area, at 205,840, was up by 1,808 over the month and 9,188 for the year.
 
The Central Savannah River Region labor force ended February at 216,744. That number is up 987 over the month and up 7,814 over the past 12 months.
 
At the same time, the jobless rate fell to 5 percent from 5.4 percent in February. A year ago, the jobless rate was 5.9 percent. Areas served by Georgia’s 12 regional commissions had unemployment rates that varied from a low of 3.8 percent in the Georgia Mountains to 5.7 percent in the River Valley region.
 
In the Central Savannah River region, initial claims for unemployment were down about 60 percent for the month and about 30 percent for the year.
 
The Central Savannah area includes Burke, Columbia, Glascock, Hancock, Jefferson, Jenkins, Lincoln, McDuffie, Richmond, Taliaferro, Warren, Washington, and Wilkes counties.