Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said the Northeast Georgia Region posted a strong February as critical job measures trended in the right direction.  
 
Butler noted employed residents and labor force both increased. At the same time, the unemployment rate fell and monthly unemployment claims dropped.
 
“It’s good to see we picked up this year right where we left off from 2017,” Butler said. “I expect Georgia will have a very good 2018. And, it’s great to see so many of our local communities have gotten off to a good start.”
 
In February, the number of employed residents in the Northeast Georgia Region area, at 296,635, was up by 4,094 over the month and 12,933 for the year.
 
The Northeast Georgia Region labor force ended February at 309,597. That number is up 4,028 over the month and up 11,142 over the past 12 months.
 
At the same time, the jobless rate fell to 4.2 percent in February from 4.3 percent. A year ago, the jobless rate was 4.9 percent. Areas served by Georgia’s 12 regional commissions planning areas had unemployment rates that varied from a low of 3.8 percent in the Georgia Mountains to 5.7 percent in the River Valley region.
 
In Northeast Georgia, initial claims for unemployment were down about 57 percent for the month and down about 3 percent for the year.
 
The Northeast Georgia region includes Barrow, Clarke, Elbert, Greene, Jackson, Jasper, Madison, Morgan, Newton, Oconee, Oglethorpe, and Walton counties.