The Atlanta area posted new highs in the number of persons employed and in the labor force in March, and the region’s unemployment rate remained unchanged from a month earlier, the Georgia Department of Labor reported this week.
More workers are looking for work, and they’re finding it for the most part. Metro Atlanta added 14,500 jobs in March, and the unemployment rate remained at 3.2%. The jobless rate includes only those who are looking for a job.
“Across Georgia, we continue to see increases in the labor force, the number of employed, and the number of jobs,” Commissioner Mark Butler said in a Thursday news release. “With Georgia having the lowest unemployment rate of the top ten most populated states, we are pleased to see Georgians enter the workforce filling the many open positions available in all of our regions and counties.”
Georgia and the metro Atlanta area continue to shrug off the pandemic, with job growth across multiple sectors, and the labor market remains tight as businesses continue to struggle to find workers. But competition has sparked wage growth.
Professional, scientific and technical services jobs led the way in job growth in March in metro Atlanta, followed by health care and social assistance and hospitality, the state Labor Department said.
The Atlanta area’s labor force hit an all-time high last month of nearly 3.23 million, up nearly 110,000 compared to March last year. Total employed persons in metro Atlanta reached 3.12 million, another record.
J. Scott Trubey
J. Scott Trubey
The ranks of the unemployed, meanwhile, grew by just 872 in March from a month earlier. Initial unemployment claims also were down 17% compared to February and 87% compared to March 2021.
Across the metro area, about 105,000 people were considered unemployed but seeking work.
“We have an extremely tight labor market right now,” Commissioner Butler told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “In some areas around the state, at a minimum, we’re seeing at least one job opening for every unemployed person, but in many areas there are as many as three job openings for every unemployed person looking for work.”
Statewide, the unemployment rate is at a record low 3.1%
By the numbers
Job added in metro Atlanta:
March 2022: 14,500
Unemployment rate in metro Atlanta:
March 2022: 3.2%
February 2022: 3.2%
March 2021: 4.4%
Unemployment rate in Georgia:
March 2022: 3.1%
February 2022: 3.2%
March 2021: 4.4%
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