The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) announced today that Metro Valdosta’s unemployment rate in March was 4.5 percent, down four-tenths of a percentage point from 4.9 percent in February. In March 2016, the rate was 5.1 percent.

The rate declined because more people became employed as the labor force continued to grow and employers continued to add jobs. 

The number of employed residents increased by 513 to 61,747, as the labor force grew by 299 to 64,674. The labor force consists of employed residents and those who are unemployed, but actively looking for jobs.

The number of jobs increased by 300, or 0.5 percent, to 56,500. The job growth came in the service industries, which includes trade, transportation and warehousing.

Over the year, 1,400 jobs were added, a 2.5 percent growth rate, up from 55,100 in March 2016. Job growth came in trade, transportation and warehousing, along with state and local government and the goods-producing sector, which includes manufacturing and construction.

The number of initial claims for unemployment insurance, a measure of new layoffs, rose by 22, or 10.2 percent, to 238. Most of the increase came in manufacturing. Over the year, claims were up by 22, or 10.2 percent, from 216 in March 2016.

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4 percent, while the River Valley region had the highest at 6.1 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for March was 5.1 percent, down from 5.3 percent in February. It was 5.5 percent in March 2016.

Job seekers and employers are encouraged to use GDOL’s online job listing service employgeorgia.com to search for jobs or recruit new employees. In March, 745 new job openings in Valdosta were posted on Employ Georgia. Throughout the state, 85,055 new job openings were posted.