State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said today that metro Savannah set a record in August for total jobs, reaching 181,500 for the first time.

Other key indicators such as new unemployment claims, increasing workforce and the total number of employed residents showed metro Savannah’s economy continues to be strong, Butler said.

“The August numbers show metro Savannah’s economy and outlook for employment remains healthy,” said Butler. “This is a good time to live, work and invest in Savannah.”

The August unemployment rate was 4.5 percent, down from 4.6 percent in July. A decline of 1,293 in the labor force contributed to the decline in the monthly rate which can be attributed to school age workers returning to their educational institutions. The August rate compares favorably to last August when the rate was 5.3 percent.

From July to August, metro Savannah gained 600 jobs, which increased the total number of jobs to 181,500. Since August 2016, metro Savannah has gained 4,900 jobs, a 2.8 percent growth rate. 

The top monthly job growth came in government, mostly in the public schools and in the private, service-providing industries such as professional and business services.

There are 6,390 more metro Savannah residents employed now than in August 2016.  

“Georgia continues to be one of the leaders in job creation and employment,” Butler said. “It's great to see our employers continue to create jobs. But it's even better to see more metro Savannah residents going back to work.” 

Metro Savannah’s year-over-year job growth came mostly in the private, service-providing industries and the goods-producing sector, which includes manufacturing and construction.  

At the same time, unemployment claims were down by 5 percent – another good sign for Metro Savannah’s economy. Claims were down in manufacturing. Over the year, claims were down by 13.4 percent from August 2016.

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 3,144 new active job postings in metro Savannah for August.

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