Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Columbus’ unemployment rate fell in April – a bright spot in an otherwise down month.  
 
Most other indicators for the month came up negative, with labor force, number of employed, and jobs all declining.
 
“Even though we did see some fluctuations in the employment and workforce numbers across the state, job growth continues to be very strong,” Butler said.
 
Columbus lost 100 jobs for the month, settling at 121,400, though it is still up 500 for the year.
 
The number of employed also fell in April. Columbus lost 461 employed residents. At 120,090 total employed residents, Columbus remains up by 2,130 for the year.
 
The April unemployment rate fell to 4.4 percent, down 0.5 percent from the previous month and down from 5.1 percent one year ago. Despite the improvement, this remains the highest unemployment rate among 14 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs).
 
The labor force dropped by 1,072 to 125,630 in April but remains up 1,281 for the year. Only one MSA, Brunswick, added to its work force during the month.
 
Initial claims for unemployment also rose by 13.5 percent for the month but are down over 8.5 percent from last year. Six of the 14 MSAs saw claims rise in April.
 
The five-county MSA includes the Georgia counties of Chattahoochee, Harris, Marion and Muscogee and Russell in Alabama.