Georgia Labor Commissioner Bruce Thompson said Thursday that Augusta’s April unemployment rate was 3.1 percent, down eight-tenths of a percent from March. A year ago, the unemployment rate was 2.9 percent.

"With Georgia's economy continuing to soar, the state unemployment rates remain steady,” said Commissioner Bruce Thompson. “When you consider the number of existing companies expanding throughout the state combined with the incredible announcements of corporations moving to our state, the future continues to look very bright for the labor market. "As we approach the summer months, we are optimistic that job growth will remain steady in virtually every sector in the state."

The labor force increased in Augusta by 1,842 and ended the month with 264,641. That number went down by 1,889 when compared to April of 2022.

Augusta finished the month with 256,343 employed residents. That number increased by 3,714 over the month and went down by 2,573 when compared to the same time a year ago.

Augusta ended April with 245,700 jobs. That number increased by 4,000 from March to April and went down by 1,000 when compared to this time last year.

In April, initial unemployment claims increased by 13% in Augusta. When you compare April 2023 claims to April 2022, claims were up by about 22 percent.