Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Augusta added jobs in December.

At the same time, Augusta maintained annual growth in all critical measures for the seven-county metropolitan statistical area (MSA).    

“Georgia had a very good year economically speaking in 2018,” Butler said. “As I look back over the year, our state added to its workforce, employed more residents and increased jobs. Many of our local communities set records.”

The unemployment rate for December , at 3.9 percent, was up by 0.4 percent over the previous month.  A year ago, the rate was 4.6 percent. That rate  ranked seventh among the 14 MSAs.

The labor force in Augusta went up by 1,984 in December  to reach 270,475. That number is down by 176 over the past year – an average monthly loss of about 15.

Augusta added 988 employed residents in December, pushing the total to 259,978. The number is up by 1,695 for the year, or about 140 per month. 

Jobs grew by 700 in December  to 244,900. The job total in Augusta is up 2,200 over the year – an average increase of 180. 

Claims for unemployment insurance increased by 52 percent in December. They were up by 10 percent when compared to the same month a year ago.

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 3,412 active job postings in metro Augusta for December .