Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Augusta continues to add jobs in August.
 
According to preliminary data, Augusta ended August with a decrease in the unemployment rate and initial claims. The seven-county metropolitan statistical area (MSA) also saw positive annual growth in both labor force and employed residents.  
 
“It’s good to see so many of our communities doing well,” Butler said. “We continue to add jobs at a record rate and see claims for unemployment fall. Overall, August was a strong month across the state.”
 
In Augusta, the unemployment rate decreased by 0.1 percentage points in August, reaching 3.9 percent. A year ago, the rate was 4.5 percent.
 
Augusta ended August with 243,600 jobs. The jobs number grew by 1,900 in August. The number is up by 4,000 when compared to the same time a year ago.
 
The labor force decreased in August by 1,364 to reach 268,379. That number has gone up by 3,384 when compared to August of 2018.
 
Augusta ended August with 257,947 employed residents.  That number decreased by 873 over the month and increased by 4,925 when compared to the same time a year ago.
 
The number of unemployment claims went down by about 60 percent in August. When compared to last August, claims were down by about 34 percent.