The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) announced today that Metro Rome’s unemployment rate in March was 5.3 percent, down four-tenths of a percentage point from 5.7 percent in February. In March 2016, the rate was 5.9 percent.

The rate declined because more people became employed and employers continued to add jobs and lay off fewer workers.

The number of employed residents increased by 164 to 41,843, as the labor force fell by 19 to 44,174. The labor force consists of employed residents and those who are unemployed, but actively looking for jobs.

The number of jobs increased by 100, or 0.2 percent, to 41,300. The job growth came in education and health services.

Over the year, 1,100 jobs were added, a 2.7 percent growth rate, up from 40,200 in March 2016. Job growth came in the service industries such as education and health services, along with state government and the goods-producing sector, which includes manufacturing and construction.

The number of initial claims for unemployment insurance, a measure of new layoffs, declined by 26, or 8.4 percent, to 282. Most of the decrease came in manufacturing and administrative and support services. Over the year, claims were down by 230, or 44.9 percent, from 512 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, 741 new job openings in Rome were posted on Employ Georgia. Throughout the state, 85,055 new job openings were posted.

Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at dol.georgia.gov.

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.