Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Valdosta posted a strong August with every major indictor trending in the right direction.
 
Valdosta received gains in labor force, employed residents, jobs, and a decrease in claims in August, according to preliminary numbers across the four-county metropolitan statistical area (MSA).   
 
“It’s good to see so many of our communities doing well,” Butler said. “We continue to add jobs at a record rate and see claims for unemployment fall. Overall, August was a strong month across the state.”
 
In Valdosta, the unemployment remained unchanged at 3.8 percent. A year ago, the rate was 4.2 percent.  
 
The labor force increased in August by 122 to reach 64,509. That number is up by 862 from the total of August 2018.
 
Jobs increased for Valdosta over the month by 600, coming in at 57,300.  When compared to the same time last year, Valdosta gained 1,100 jobs.
 
Valdosta ended August with 62,048 employed residents.  The number increased by 78 in August and was up by 1,095 over August 2018’s total.
 
The numbers of unemployment claims went down in August by about 23 percent and were down by about 3 percent from the same period last year.