The Georgia Mountains’ unemployment rate fell again in April, dropping below the three-percent mark, according to statistics released Thursday by the Georgia Department of Labor.
State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said the unemployment rate fell, while Georgia Mountains lost workforce and employed residents across the 12-county region. The number of new claims also fell, preliminary numbers showed.
"We saw every region lower its rate and, in most of these cases, break its previous record," Butler said. “If we can continue to grow our labor force, the future looks strong.”
The April unemployment rate fell by 0.5 percentage points, coming in at 2.7 percent. It was 3.1 percent one year ago. Butler said the rate declined across all 12 regions. The Georgia Mountains region includes Banks, Dawson, Forsyth, Franklin, Habersham, Hall, Hart, Lumpkin, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union and White counties.
The labor force decreased in April by 2,210 to reach 348,146 total members. The number has climbed by 2,201 over the past 12 months.
The Georgia Mountains region lost 234 employed residents in April, pushing its total to 338,882. That number has grown by 3,758 over the past year.
Initial claims for unemployment went up by about 25 percent in April. They are up by about 46 percent when compared to last April.
Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.comshowed 2,034 active job postings in the Georgia Mountains region for April.
