ATLANTA — The jobless rate in the metro Savannah area ticked up a notch in March while the rate across the Coastal region remained stable, according to the state Department of Labor.
The Labor Department announced last week that metro Savannah’s unemployment rate increased to 6.7 percent in March, up one-tenth of a percentage point from 6.6 percent in February. The rate was 7.4 percent in March a year ago.
The rate rose because the labor force increased and there were more layoffs. The labor force increased by 1,442, as more job seekers began looking for work. It rose to 183,866 from 182,424 in February.
 At the same time, there were 1,261 new claims for unemployment insurance filed in March, an increase of 301 from 960 in February.  
Most of the increase came in transportation and warehousing, according to the labor department. There were 1,145 claims in March 2013.
In the Coastal region, the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 7.2 percent from February to March, but it was down from 8.1 percent a year ago.
Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.employgeorgia.com.
While the March rate was unchanged, there were 1,923 new claims for unemployment insurance filed in March, an increase of 212, or 12.4 percent, from 1,711 in February.  
Most of the increase in claims came in transportation and warehousing. There were 2,256 claims in March 2013.