Georgia Mountains’ unemployment rate declines to 4.7 percent in March
(Georgia Mountains Region includes Banks, Dawson, Forsyth, Franklin, Habersham, Hall, Hart, Lumpkin, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, and White counties).

ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that the unemployment rate in the Georgia Mountains region in March was 4.7 percent, down one-tenth of a percentage point from 4.8 percent in February. The rate in March 2015 was 5 percent.

The rate declined as the number of initial claims for unemployment insurance decreased by 736, or 30.9 percent, to 1,645. Most of the decrease came in manufacturing. However, over the year, claims were up by 70, or 4.4 percent, from 1,575 in March 2015.

Also, Georgia Mountains’ labor force increased by 2,873 to 317,587.
Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.5 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha and River Valley regions had the highest at 6.9 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for March was 5.5 percent, up from 5.4 percent in February. It was 6.2 percent in March 2015.

State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said job seekers and employers should use the GDOL’s online job listing service, www.employgeorgia.com to search for jobs or recruit new employees. In March, 2,143 jobs in the Georgia Mountains region were posted on Employ Georgia. Throughout the state, 78,986 jobs were posted.

Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.dol.georgia.gov.

To learn more about career opportunities, Employ Georgia and other GDOL services for job seekers and employers, and to connect with us on social media, visit www.dol.georgia.gov