Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Columbus set more records in March as all of its critical job measures trended in the right direction again.
 
Columbus ranked 13th among Georgia’s 14 metropolitan statistical areas with a 4.8 percent unemployment rate, down .5 percent from last month. The rate was 5.6 percent a year ago.
 
Butler noted jobs, employed residents, and labor force all increased - again. At the same time, unemployment claims dropped.
 
“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 Columbus area, at 120,794, was up by 943 over the month and 2,539 for the year.
 
Jobs increased by 700 in March to 121,600. The change over the past 12 months was 600.
 
The area reported strong growth in manufacturing.
 
The Columbus labor force ended March at 126,950. That number is up 357 over the month and up 1,700 over the past 12 months.
 
Georgia’s 14 metropolitan statistical areas had unemployment rates that varied from a low of 3.3 percent in Gainesville to Dalton’s 5.3 percent. All 14 trended lower in March.
 
Initial claims for unemployment were down about 33 percent for the month and about 42 percent for the year.
 
The five-county metropolitan statistical area (MSA) includes the Georgia counties of Chattahoochee, Harris, Marion and Muscogee and Russell in Alabama.