The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that Metro Athens’ unemployment rate for March was 5.4 percent, down three-tenths of a percentage point from 5.7 percent in February. The rate in March 2014 was 6.5 percent.

The rate declined as the number of unemployed residents decreased by 292 to 5,070 from 5,362 in February, partially because employers laid off fewer workers.  

There were four, or 1.0 percent, fewer new claims for unemployment insurance filed in March, as the number of claims declined to 417 from 421 in February. Most of the decrease in claims came in wholesale trade.  Over the year, claims were down by 63, or 13.1 percent, from 480 filed in March 2014.     

The number of jobs in Athens decreased by 500, or 0.5 percent, in March to 92,000 from 92,500 in February. Most of the job losses came in state government and in the private sector service-related industries. 

However, there was an over-the-year gain of 3,000 jobs, or 3.4 percent, from 89,000 in March 2014. Most of the job growth came in state government, leisure and hospitality, and trade, transportation and warehousing. 

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.9 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 7.8 percent. 

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for March was 6.3 percent, unchanged from February. It was 7.3 percent in March 2014.  

Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.gdol.ga.gov Connect with us on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter @GeorgiaDOL, which can be easily accessed via our website at www.gdol.ga.gov.