New data released by the Georgia Department of Labor reveals a mixed employment picture across Northwest Georgia for the month of March. While some counties saw modest improvements, Chattooga County continues to struggle with the region’s highest unemployment rate.

Chattooga County’s unemployment rate remains at 4.1%, placing it significantly above its neighboring counties. Dade County experienced a slight dip from 3.6% in February to 3.5% in March, while Catoosa County saw a decrease of a tenth of a percent to 3.3%. Walker County held steady at 3.4%, a minor increase from the 3.1% recorded in March of the previous year. Floyd County’s March numbers showed an unemployment rate of 3.5%.

Statewide, the report indicates job losses in sectors such as transportation and warehousing (-3,200), accommodation and food services (-1,100), and professional, scientific, and technical services (-400). However, there were significant year-over-year gains in other industries. Health care and social assistance led the way with an impressive 22,500 new jobs. Local, federal, and state government positions also saw considerable increases, adding 4,200, 4,100, and 3,700 jobs respectively.

The finance and insurance sector also experienced growth, with 3,100 new positions. Despite these gains, certain sectors experienced job declines compared to the previous year, including administrative and support services (-8,700), accommodation and food services (-5,500), retail trade (-4,600), transportation and warehousing (-3,100), and durable goods manufacturing (-2,500).