Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that the Three Rivers region saw its unemployment rate and number of unemployment claims fall in March.

Preliminary results showed the 10-county area posted monthly losses in labor force and while the number of employed residents increased in March.

“We are moving into the Spring with a strong jobs report,” Butler said. “The national economy is booming. Georgia is also producing strong numbers consistently across the state.”

The unemployment rate fell in March. The rate dropped 0.2 percentage points in March, settling at 3.7 percent. A year ago, the rate was 4 percent.

Nationally, the rate for February was 3.8 percent.

The labor force fell in March by 504. The March total was 246,782. That number is down by 612 from the total from March 2018. That’s an average monthly loss of about 50

The Three Rivers region ended March with 237,755 employed residents.  The number increased by 146 in March and 278 as compared to last March, an average monthly gain of about 60.

The number of unemployment claims fell in March by 20 percent. When compared to last March, claims were down by 24 percent.

In March, claims were down in manufacturing and construction.

The Three Rivers area includes Butts, Carroll, Coweta, Heard, Lamar, Meriwether, Pike, Spalding, Troup, and Upson counties.