Georgia’s unemployment picture did not improve from February to March as the jobless rate remained at 6.3 percent, the state labor department said Thursday.
Here’s what happened:
— The number of jobs declined slightly, by 0.2 percent, to total 4,239,500 in March. Most of the job losses came in accommodations and food services, construction and manufacturying. Some of those losses were offset by gains in health care and social assistance, retail, and finance and insurance.
— The number of layoffs measured by initial claims for unemployment insurance rose by 2.1 percent from February to March. Almost a third of the claims were from temporary layoffs, primarily in manufacturing and construction.
— The job market has improved from a year ago when the unemployment rate was 7.3 percent. The state’s current rate of 6.3 percent matched its lowest level since July 2008. But Georgia continues to trail the national average, currently 5.5 percent.
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