The Gainesville metro area started 2019 with strong employment numbers, according to Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler.
The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) on Thursday released area jobless numbers for the first two months of the year.
According to the report, in the two-month cycle of January and February, Gainesville posted monthly gains in jobs, labor force and employed residents. The unemployment rate fell in February.
"We’ve started strong in 2019," Butler said. "Communities across the state added jobs, workers and improved employment. That is very good to see."
Overall, Gainesville ended February with 94,600 jobs. That represents an increase of about 3,700 from the job total as of a year ago.
Gainesville also posted gains for jobs in private services.
The unemployment rate inched up in early 2019, driven by gains in the workforce. The rate climbed 0.6 percent in January but then fell by 0.3 percent in February, settling at 3.2 percent. A year ago, the rate was 3.5 percent.
Nationally, the rate for February was 3.8 percent.
The labor force increased in January by 49 and grew in February by another 140. The February total was 103,574 That number is up by 1,670 from the total from February 2018.
Gainesville ended February with 100,256 employed residents. The number decreased by 596 in January and rose by 486 in February to net at a loss of 110 over the two-month cycle.
The numbers of unemployment claims fell in February by 30 percent and were up in January by 98 percent. When compared to last February, claims were up by 2 percent.
In February, claims were down in construction and administrative/support services.
