Contributed

ATLANTA — State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler announced this week that 2017 was a banner year for job creation and employment in the Three Rivers Georgia area.

The 10-county Three Rivers Georgia region ended the calendar year with 6,566 more employed residents, 4,060 more people in the workforce, and an unemployment rate down 1.1 percent.

“This is a very good year for the Three Rivers Georgia area,” Butler said. “The critical indicators trended in the right direction. I’m expecting the same will continue in 2018.”

The region also gained 514 employed residents last month. The Three Rivers Georgia area ended 2017 with 236,787 employed residents.

The Three Rivers Georgia labor force, the number of residents with jobs and those unemployed but actively looking for work, grew by 464 in December. The area posted a labor force total of 247,407 at year’s end.

In December, 1,654 initial claims for unemployment insurance were filed, up by 32 percent from the previous month. In comparison to last December, initial claims are down by 3 percent.

Meanwhile, the area’s unemployment rate fell from 5.4 percent to 4.3 over the 12-month cycle. The December rate, at 4.3 percent, was unchanged from the previous month.

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 1,740 new active job postings in the Three Rivers region at year’s end.

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

Visit dol.georgia.gov to learn more about career opportunities, Employ Georgia and other GDOL services for job seekers and employers.