Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that the Three Rivers region set multiple records in October.
 
Preliminary results showed the 10-county area posted gains in critical measures both for the month and year. The region reached an all-time high for employment and remained tied for its record-low unemployment rate.     
 
 “October was a great month for Georgia and our local communities,” Butler said. “We continued to create jobs and people gained employment – often at record numbers.”
 
Nationally, the unemployment rate climbed in October to 3.6 percent, an increase of 0.1 percentage points. The nation also grew to its labor force by 325,000, increased employment by 241,000 and added more 125,000 jobs.
 
Georgia’s unemployment rate, meanwhile, fell in October by 0.1 percentage points to 3.4 percent. That tied Georgia’s all-time low set in December of 2000.  
 
Rates fell or held steady across nine of Georgia’s 12 planning regions. Seven set or tied a record for lowest rate ever.
 
In Three Rivers, the unemployment rate held constant in October at 3 percent. That’s an all-time low. A year ago, the rate was 3.7 percent.
 
The labor force went up in October by 992 to reach 248,994. That number is up by 1,781 from the total from October 2018.
 
The Three Rivers region ended October with 241,588 employed residents – a record high.  The number increased by 996 in October and went up by 3,626 as compared to last October.
 
The number of unemployment claims rose in October by about 25 percent. When compared to last October, claims were down by about 3 percent.