Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that the Central Savannah River region set a record in April for its lowest unemployment rate ever.

The 13-county area also posted monthly gains in labor force and employed residents, preliminary numbers show.

“In April, we set record lows for unemployment across the state,” Butler said. “And, the numbers show we traditionally do even better through the upcoming summer months.”

The unemployment rate fell in April. The rate dropped 0.6 percentage points in April, settling at 3.6 percent, an all-time low. A year ago, the rate was 4.2 percent.

The labor force increased in April by 1,209. The April total was 213,091. That number is down by 1,665 from the total from April 2018.

Central Savannah River ended April with 205,526 employed residents.  The number increased by 2,527 in April and was down 231 as compared to last April.

The number of unemployment claims increased in April by 27 percent. When compared to last April, claims were down by 14 percent.