Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that the Northeast region grew its labor force and number of employed residents in February.
 
The 13-county area also posted monthly losses in labor force and employed residents in January.  The unemployment rate fell in February.
 
“These early numbers look very solid,” Butler said. “We are seeing communities add workers and grow their labor force. It’s looking like we can expect a very productive year in terms of job creation and hiring.”
 
The unemployment rate inched up in early 2019. The rate climbed 0.8 percentage points in January but then fell by 0.5 percentage points in February, settling at 3.7 percent. A year ago, the rate was 4.1 percent.
 
Nationally, the rate for February was 3.8 percent.
 
The labor force fell in January by 1,529 and grew in February by another 224. The February total was 306,152. That number is down by 317 from the total from February 2018.
 
The Northeast region ended February with 294,705 employed residents.  The number decreased by 3,841 in January and rose by 1,596 in February to net a loss of 2,255 over the two-month cycle.
 
The number of unemployment claims fell in February by 44 percent and were up   in January by 60 percent. When compared to last February, claims were up by 8 percent.
 
In February, claims were down in manufacturing and trade.