The Georgia Department of Labor says the state reached new all-time highs in both labor force and employment in February, even as the unemployment rate ticked up slightly and job totals declined for a second straight month.

According to the new report, Georgia’s labor force rose to 5,451,101, while employment climbed to 5,256,871. Both marks are new records for the state.

Georgia’s February unemployment rate came in at 3.6%, up slightly from 3.5% in January. Even with the increase, the state’s jobless rate remained 0.8 percentage point lower than the national rate. It was also 0.2 percentage point higher than Georgia’s rate one year ago.

Georgia Labor Commissioner Bárbara Rivera Holmes said the record numbers show more Georgians are working and participating in the economy than ever before.

The labor force increased by 5,458 over the month and by 39,493 over the past year. Employment rose by 3,940 in February and was up 28,888 compared to the same time last year.

At the same time, the number of unemployed Georgians increased by 1,518 in February to 194,230, and was up 10,605 over the year.

The report also showed total jobs in Georgia fell by 4,200 in February to 4,977,200. Over the past 12 months, jobs were down 5,800. After revisions to January data, the state has now posted job losses for two months in a row.

One bright spot came in the health care and social assistance sector, which reached an all-time high of 638,400 jobs in February.

The biggest monthly job gains came in health care and social assistance, information, durable goods manufacturing, management of companies and enterprises, and wholesale trade.

The largest monthly losses were seen in construction, transportation, warehousing and utilities, retail trade, accommodation and food services, and professional and technical services.

Over the past year, the sectors posting the strongest gains were health care and social assistance, local government, state government, arts, entertainment and recreation, and real estate and rental and leasing.

The biggest year-over-year job declines were reported in federal government, transportation, warehousing and utilities, retail trade, wholesale trade, and accommodation and food services.

There was also good news on unemployment claims. Initial claims dropped by 11,152 in February to 16,551, the lowest total since November 2025.

State labor officials say employers and job seekers can find more information through the Georgia Department of Labor’s online resources and Career Centers across the state.