Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Northwest Georgia had  positive over-the-month measures in almost every key indicator in March.

“We had another strong month in March,” said Commissioner of Labor Mark Butler. “We saw the unemployment rate drop in every single MSA, along with an increase in jobs across the state and most importantly, a decrease in over-the-year initial claims for every MSA.”

In Northwest Georgia, the unemployment rate decreased by 0.4 percentage points, bringing the rate to 3.3 percent. A year ago, the rate was 3.5 percent.

The labor force increased in March by 1,661. The March total was 424,179. That number is down by 1,839 from the total from March 2020.

Northwest Georgia ended March with 410,048 employed residents.  The number increased by 3,220 in March and was down 1,271 as compared to last year.

Initial claims for unemployment increased by 15 percent in March. When compared to last March, claims were down by about 55 percent.