Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said the Northeast region posted a record-setting March as most critical job measures trended in the right direction.
 
Butler noted employed residents increased in March. At the same time, the unemployment rate fell and claims were down.
 
“It’s good to see such a strong report in March,” Butler said. “So many of our local communities are trending in the right direction in terms of job creation and hiring. And, we are even seeing records in many places.”
 
In March, the number of employed residents in the Northeast region area climbed to 297,474 – a record. That total ranked fifth among the 12 regional commissions in Georgia.
 
Northeast Georgia added 769 employed residents for the month and 11,460 over the past year. Only four regions added more than 1,000 employed residents for the month.
 
The Northeast labor force ended March at 309,264. That number is down 352 over the month and up 9,603 over the past 12 months. The regional workforce is the state’s fifth largest.
 
At the same time, the jobless rate fell to 3.8 percent, a drop of .4 percent over the past 30 days. A year ago, the jobless rate was 4.6 percent. There are 12 regional commissions in Georgia.  The rates in the 12 areas vary from a low of 3.5 percent in the Georgia Mountains to 5.2 percent in the River Valley region.
 
In the Northeast region, initial claims for unemployment were down about 3 percent for the month and down about 17 percent for the year.
 
The Northeast Georgia region includes Barrow, Clarke, Elbert, Greene, Jackson, Jasper, Madison, Morgan, Newton, Oconee, Oglethorpe, and Walton counties.