Marking eight consecutive months of declines, the March seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 9 percent according to figures released April 19 by the Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL).
The rate is the lowest since the February 2009 rate of 8.9 percent and is eight-tenths of a percentage point lower than last March's rate of 9.8 percent.
“Georgia’s unemployment rate continues to trend downward,” State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said in a released statement, “and it’s important to recognize that it’s done so as the number of people in the labor force steadily increased. This indicates a growing optimism among unemployed workers that they will be able to land a job. In fact, Georgia employers have created 35,600 jobs in the past year."
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According to the GDOL, 13,900 jobs were added in March, most of which (28,900) were in the professional and business services.
“I’m also encouraged that the number of new lay-offs continues to decline, reaching the lowest level since March four years ago,” Butler added.
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First-time claims for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits fell 7.9 percent in March from the previous month and are down 15.2 percent from March of last year.
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