Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said the Three Rivers 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 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 Three Rivers Region area, at 240,528, was up by 3,088 over the month and up 8,929 for the year.
 
The Three Rivers Region labor force ended February at 251,620. That number is up 2,790 over the month and up 6,843 over the past 12 months.
 
At the same time, the jobless rate fell to 4.4 percent in February from 4.6 percent. A year ago, the jobless rate was 5.4 percent. . Areas served by Georgia’s 12 regional commissions 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 Three Rivers Region, initial claims for unemployment were down about 63 percent for the month and up about 1 percent for the year.
 
The Three Rivers area includes Butts, Carroll, Coweta, Heard, Lamar, Meriwether, Pike, Spalding, Troup, and Upson counties.