Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Columbus saw its unemployment rate drop a substantial 1.6 percentage points in October.

Columbus also saw monthly increases across all major indicators, including labor force, number of employed residents, and jobs for October. 

“In October, every MSA saw unemployment rates dramatically decrease, including some areas that dropped to pre-pandemic numbers, demonstrating how strong our economy was across the state prior to the crisis and how we are successfully recovering,” said Commissioner of Labor Mark Butler.  “We have a significant number of jobs available on EmployGeorgia from all parts of the state for those looking for new career opportunities.  Filling these jobs will be critical for continuing the growth we need to progress economically.”

In Columbus, the unemployment rate decreased 1.6 percentage points in October, reaching 5.1 percent. A year ago, the rate was 3.6 percent.

The labor force increased in Columbus by 2,586 and ended the month with 199,351. That number is down 3,849 when compared to October of 2019.

Columbus finished the month with 113,314 employed residents.  That number increased by 4,359 over the month and is down by 5,497 when compared to the same time a year ago. 

Columbus ended October with 116,500. jobs. That number increased by 1,000 from September to October but decreased by 6,000 when compared to this time last year. 

The number of unemployment claims went down by 5 percent in Columbus. When compared to last October, claims were up by about 950 percent.