Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that  the Central Savannah River region’s unemployment rate and claims both fell in August. 

At the same time, the 13-county area saw its labor force and number of employed residents dip down.  All major indicators are remain positive for the year. 

"Our communities across the state continue to thrive,” Butler said. “Local economies continue to add jobs and see other indicators like employment and labor force grow over time.  It has become almost routine for some of our local areas to set records.” 

The August unemployment rate fell to 4.6 percent, down by .3 from July. That ranked 10^thamong 12 regional commissions. It was 5.6 percent one year ago.

The labor force fell in August by 3,756 to reach 211,974 total members. The number has climbed by more than 3,200 over the past 12 months, or an average gain of more than 260 per month.  

The Central Savannah River region lost 2,965 employed residents in August, pushing its total to 202,229. That number has grown by more than 5.200 over the past year, or an average monthly gain of about 430.  

Initial claims for unemployment fell by about 45 percent for the month. They are down by about 3 percent when compared to last August. 

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 2,628 active job postings in the Central Savannah River region for August. 

The Central Savannah area includes Burke, Columbia, Glascock, Hancock, Jefferson, Jenkins, Lincoln, McDuffie, Richmond, Taliaferro, Warren, Washington, and Wilkes counties.