Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Savannah posted a strong February as all of its critical job measures trended in the right direction.  

Butler noted jobs, employed residents, and labor force all increased. At the same time, the unemployment rate fell and unemployment claims dropped. 

“It’s good to see we picked up this year right where we left off from 2017,” Butler said. “I expect Georgia will have a very good 2018. And, it’s great to see so many of our local communities have gotten off to a good start.”

In February, Savannah set a record for the number of employed residents at 180,567. That number was up by 2,937 over the month and 5,746 for the year.

Jobs climbed by 1,300 to 177,600 in February. They increased by 2,100 over the past 12 months. 

The Savannah labor force ended February at 188,381 – another all-time high. That number is up 2,947 over the month and 4,565 over the past 12 months. The area’s labor force includes the total number of residents with jobs and those unemployed but looking for work.

At the same time, the jobless rate fell from 4.2 percent to 4.1 percent over the past month. A year ago, the jobless rate was 4.9 percent. Georgia’s 14 metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) had unemployment rates that varied from a low of 3.6 percent in Gainesville to Dalton’s 5.5 percent. 

Initial claims for unemployment were down about 45 percent for the month and about 4 percent for the year.

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 2,408 new active job postings in metro Savannah for February.

The MSA includes Bryan Chatham and Effingham counties.  

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.