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Area jobless rate up slightly in March
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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.

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Record April boosts Savannah's container trade at port
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The Port of Savannah moved 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units in April, an increase of 7.1 percent. - photo by Provided

The Georgia Ports Authority's busiest April ever pushed its fiscal year-to-date totals to more than 3.4 million 20-foot equivalent container units (TEUs), an increase of 8.8 percent, or 280,000 TEUs, compared to the first 10 months of fiscal 2017.

"We're on track to move more than 300,000 TEUs in every month of the fiscal year, which will be a first for the authority," said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. "We're also anticipating this to be the first fiscal year for the Port of Savannah to handle more than 4 million TEUs."

April volumes reached 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units, up 7.1 percent or 23,700 units. As the fastest growing containerport in the nation, the Port of Savannah has achieved a compound annual growth rate of more than 5 percent a year over the past decade.

"As reported in the recent economic impact study by UGA's Terry College of Business, trade through Georgia's deepwater ports translates into jobs, higher incomes and greater productivity," said GPA Board Chairman Jimmy Allgood. "In every region of Georgia, employers rely on the ports of Savannah and Brunswick to help them become more competitive on the global stage."

To strengthen the Port of Savannah's ability to support the state's future economic growth, the GPA Board approved $66 million in terminal upgrades, including $24 million for the purchase of 10 additional rubber-tired gantry cranes.  

"The authority is committed to building additional capacity ahead of demand to ensure the Port of Savannah remains a trusted link in the supply chain serving Georgia and the Southeast," Lynch said.

The crane purchase will bring the fleet at Garden City Terminal to 156 RTGs. The new cranes will support three new container rows, which the board approved in March. The additional container rows will increase annual capacity at the Port of Savannah by 150,000 TEUs.

The RTGs will work over stacks that are five containers high and six deep, with a truck lane running alongside the stacks. Capable of running on electricity, the cranes will have a lift capacity of 50 metric tons.

The cranes will arrive in two batches of five in the first and second quarters of calendar year 2019.

 Also at Monday's meeting, the GPA Board elected its officers, with Jimmy Allgood as chairman, Will McKnight taking the position of vice chairman and Joel Wooten elected as the next secretary/treasurer.

For more information, visit gaports.com, or contact GPA Senior Director of Corporate Communications Robert Morris at (912) 964-3855 or rmorris@gaports.com.

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