The Georgia Department of Labor announced Thursday that the seven-county Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area saw record-breaking employment and labor force gains in April, with an unemployment rate of 3.3%, down six-tenths of a percentage point over the month. A year ago, the rate was 3.4%.

“Georgia has always been a state that rewards hard work, and right now, hard work is paying off in a big way,” said Georgia Labor Commissioner Bárbara Rivera Holmes. “Every single metro area in this state added jobs in April, more Georgians are earning mortgage-paying paychecks, and our workforce is more skilled and competitive than ever. That is what it looks like when Georgia, a Top State for Talent, goes to work.”

The labor force in Augusta was up 3,976 over the month and increased by 3,382 over the year, reaching 285,037, an all-time high.

Augusta ended the month with 258,200 jobs, up 5,400 over the month and down 1,400 from the same time last year.

 In April, initial unemployment claims increased by 146 over the month and 72 from the same time a year ago, totaling 753.