Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said the Three Rivers 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 Three Rivers region area climbed to 240,604 – a record. That total ranked 6th among the 12 regional commissions in Georgia.
 
Three Rivers Georgia added 631 employed residents for the month and 7,288 over the past year. Only four regions added more than 1,000 employed residents for the month.
 
The Three Rivers labor force ended March at 250,765. That number is down 261 over the month and up 5,283 over the past 12 months. Only five regions saw their workforce grow in March.
 
At the same time, the jobless rate fell to 4.1 percent, a drop of .3 percent over the past 30 days. A year ago, the jobless rate was 5.0 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 Three Rivers region, initial claims for unemployment were down about 14 percent for the month and down about 9 percent for the year.
 
The Three Rivers area includes Butts, Carroll, Coweta, Heard, Lamar, Meriwether, Pike, Spalding, Troup, and Upson counties.