Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said the Central Savannah River region posted a record-setting March as most critical job measures trended in the right direction.
 
Butler noted employed residents and labor force both increased in March. At the same time, the unemployment rate fell and 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 Central Savannah River region area climbed to 206,870 – a record. That total ranked eighth among the 12 regional commissions in Georgia.
 
Central Savannah River added 987 employed residents for the month and 8,453 over the past year. Only four regions added more than 1,000 employed residents for the month.
 
The Central Savannah River labor force ended March at 217,057 – another record. That number is up 315 over the month and up 7,321 over the past 12 months. The regional workforce is the state’s eighth largest.
 
At the same time, the jobless rate fell to 4.7 percent, a drop of .3 percent over the past 30 days. A year ago, the jobless rate was 5.4 percent. There are 12 Regional Commissions in Georgia.  The rates in the 12 areas vary from a low of 3.5 percent in the Georgia Mountains to 5.2 percent in the River Valley region.
 
In the Central Savannah River region, initial claims for unemployment were up about 14 percent for the month and down about 15 percent for the year.
 
The Central Savannah area includes Burke, Columbia, Glascock, Hancock, Jefferson, Jenkins, Lincoln, McDuffie, Richmond, Taliaferro, Warren, Washington, and Wilkes counties.