Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Valdosta saw positive over-the-month measures in almost every key indicator in March.

“We had another strong month in March,” said Commissioner of Labor Mark Butler. “We saw the unemployment rate drop in every single MSA, along with an increase in jobs across the state and most importantly, a decrease in over-the-year initial claims for every MSA.”   

In Valdosta, the unemployment rate decreased by 0.4 percentage points in March, reaching 4 percent. A year ago, the rate was 3.8 percent.

The labor force increased in Valdosta by 120 and ended the month with 66,146. That number is up 776 when compared to March of 2020.

Valdosta finished the month with 63,533 employed residents.  That number increased by 407 over the month and is up by 655 when compared to the same time a year ago.

Valdosta ended March with 56,000 jobs. That number increased by 300 from February to March and decreased by 900 when compared to this time last year.

The number of unemployment claims went up by 19 percent in Valdosta. When compared to last March, claims were down by about 33 percent.

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed about 774 active job postings in metro Valdosta for March.

Visit dol.georgia.gov to learn more about career opportunities, Employ Georgia and other GDOL services for job seekers and employers and to connect with us on social media.