Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that the Central Savannah River region posted a record number of employed and lower unemployment for the month of April.
 
Though Butler also noted a drop in the labor force and an increase in initial unemployment claims, most indicators remained positive for the year.
 
“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.
 
In April, the number of employed residents in the Central Savannah River region climbed to 208,049 – an all-time high.
 
Central Savannah River added 1,075 employed residents for the month and 8,295 over the past year. Only five of Georgia’s 12 regional commissions saw an increase in employed residents, and Central Savannah River was the only region to add over 1,000.
 
The Central Savannah River labor force ended April at 217,006. That number is down 165 over the last month but up 6,720 over the last year.
 
The jobless rate fell to 4.1 percent, a drop of .6 percent over the past month. A year ago, the jobless rate was 5 percent. The rates in Georgia’s 12 regions vary from a low of 3.1 percent in the Georgia Mountains to 4.7 percent in the River Valley region.
 
In the Central Savannah River region, initial claims for unemployment were up about 21 percent for the month and up about 23 percent for the year.
 
The Central Savannah area includes Burke, Columbia, Glascock, Hancock, Jefferson, Jenkins, Lincoln, McDuffie, Richmond, Taliaferro, Warren, Washington, and Wilkes counties.