Unemployment stayed low in Georgia in February, as the state's labor market was strong but stable.

The jobless rate stayed at 3.1% for the seventh month in a row, although it was up slightly from 3% in February 2022.

The number of people seeking jobs and reporting they were employed both grew slightly, while the number of Georgians reporting they were unemployed was basically flat at 164,000.

The number of workers on employer payrolls — the top labor market measure for many economists — rose slightly to 4.88 million. That’s 135,000 above payroll levels last January.

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Unemployment is measured by a survey of individuals, separate from the payroll survey of employers.

The state released the figures Thursday. They are adjusted to cancel out seasonal fluctuations.

The nationwide unemployment rate rose to 3.6% in February from 3.4% in January. That’s down from 3.8% a year ago.

About 4,800 Georgia workers filed for new unemployment benefits in the week that ended March 18.

The overall number of people collecting state unemployment was about 29,000 in the week that ended March 11.