The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) announced today that Metro Savannah’s unemployment rate in March was 4.5 percent, down two-tenths of a percentage point from 4.7 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 1,512 to 176,980, as the labor force grew by 1,092 to 185,269. The labor force consists of employed residents and those who are unemployed, but actively looking for jobs.

The number of jobs increased by 1,500, or 0.8 percent, to 180,000. Most of the job growth came in services such as leisure and hospitality, professional and business services, and trade, transportation and warehousing.

Over the year, 6,700 jobs were added, a 3.9 percent growth rate, up from 173,300 in March 2016. Job growth came in professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, education and health services, trade, transportation and warehousing, along with state and local government.

The number of initial claims for unemployment insurance, a measure of new layoffs, was unchanged at 562. Over the year, claims were down by 193, or 25.6 percent, from 755 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, 3,563 new job openings in Savannah were posted on Employ Georgia. Throughout the state, 85,055 new job openings were posted.