Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Brunswick lowered its unemployment rate in October.
 
Brunswick, according to preliminary numbers, posted annual gains in jobs, labor force, and employed for the three-county metropolitan statistical area (MSA).   
 
“In October we had eight local communities set a total of 13 new records,” Butler said. “We increased jobs, employment and added to our labor force in virtually all of our major markets.”
 
Nationally, the unemployment rate climbed in October to 3.6 percent, an increase of 0.1 percentage points. The nation also grew its labor force by 325,000, increased employment by 241,000 and added more 125,000 jobs.
 
Georgia’s unemployment rate, meanwhile, fell in October by 0.1 percentage points to 3.4 percent. That tied Georgia’s all-time low set in December of 2000.
 
Rates fell or held steady across all 11 of Georgia’s 14 MSAs. Four set a record for lowest rate ever.
 
Brunswick’s unemployment rate decreased in October by 0.3 percentage points to settle at 3.1 percent. A year ago, the rate was 3.7 percent.
 
Brunswick ended October with 45,600 jobs. That’s a decrease of about 100 from last month’s total but up 800 from the job total as of a year ago.
 
The labor force decreased in October by 412 to reach 53,573. That number is up by 191 from the total of last year.
 
Brunswick ended October with 51,935 employed residents.  The number decreased by 202 in October but was up by 533 as compared to October 2018’s total.
 
The number of unemployment claims went down in October by about 65 percent and were down by about 30 percent from the same period last year.