Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that the Three Rivers region’s unemployment rate and claims both fell in August.

 

At the same time, the 10-county area saw its labor force and number of employed residents dip down.  All major indicators are remain positive for the year.

 

“Our communities across the state continue to thrive,” Butler said. “Local economies continue to add jobs and see other indicators like employment and labor force grow over time.  It has become almost routine for some of our local areas to set records.”

 

The August unemployment rate fell to 3.7 percent, down by .4 from July. That ranked fourth among 12 regional commissions. It was 5 percent one year ago.

 

The labor force fell in August by 3,717 to reach 248,981 total members. The number has climbed by 2,238 over the past 12 months, or an average gain of more than 186 per month.

 

The Three Rivers region lost 2,687 employed residents in August, pushing its total to 239,705. That number has grown by 5,200 over the past year, or an average monthly gain of about 433.

 

Initial claims for unemployment fell by about 56 percent for the month. They  are down by about 18 percent when compared to last August.

 

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 1,215 active job postings in the Three Rivers region for August.

 

The Three Rivers area includes Butts, Carroll, Coweta, Heard, Lamar, Meriwether, Pike, Spalding, Troup, and Upson counties.

 

 

Visit 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.

 

DATA FOR THE METRO AREAS ARE ATTACHED. TABLES AND GRAPHS REFLECTING LABOR MARKET DATA ARE AVAILABLE AT: http://dol.georgia.gov/current-labor-force-data-and-graphs