ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia’s jobless rate fell for the 11th straight month in March, dropping to within a percentage point of where it was before the pandemic sent it soaring to an all-time high.
The state’s unemployment rate was 4.5% in March, down from 4.8% in February. That’s still above the 3.6% posted last March, but well below the state’s all-time high of 12.5% posted last April as many businesses shut down during the spread of the coronavirus.
More people sought and found jobs in March, pushing the number of unemployed Georgians down to about 232,000.
The nationwide unemployment rate in March was 6%.
A separate survey of employer payrolls - the top indicator for economists - also showed healthy growth. Georgia payrolls rose more than 20,000 from February to March, hitting almost 4.5 million. That’s still about 4% below the 4.67 million Georgians on payrolls in February 2020.
The Georgia Department of Labor released the job figures Thursday.
Georgia workers continue to file for unemployment at elevated levels. More than 37,000 workers made initial filings for benefits during the week of April 10, a level that’s three times the weekly average before the pandemic began.
About 136,000 people are still collecting regular state unemployment, while 170,000 people are collecting special federal unemployment assistance available to people who are self-employed, independent contractors, gig workers, or employees of churches and nonprofits.
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