Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that the Coastal region’s unemployment rate and claims both fell in August. 

At the same time, the 10-county area saw its labor force and number of employed residents dip down.  Most major indicators are remain positive for the year.

"Our communities across the state continue to thrive,” Butler said. “Local economies continue to add jobs. Indicators like employment continue to grow over time. It has become almost routine for some of our local areas to set records.”

The August unemployment rate fell to 3.7 percent, down by .3 percent from July. That ranked tied for fourth among 12 regional commissions. It was 4.8 percent one year ago

The labor force fell in August by 4,970 to reach 328,668 total members. The number has fallen by 981 over the past 12 months, or an average loss of about 80 per month.

The Coastal region lost 4,074 employed residents in August, pushing its total to  316,349. That number has grown by 2,515 over the past year, or an average monthly gain of about 200.   

Initial claims for unemployment fell by about 28 percent for the month. They are down by about 7 percent when compared to last August. 

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 3,406 active job postings in the Coastal region for August. 

The Coastal region includes Bryan, Bulloch, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long, McIntosh, and Screven counties.