Fewer Floyd County citizens filed first time claims for unemployment assistance in March than in March of last year, but the Department of Labor also reported that the number of residents with a job fell by 300 during that time.

Last month, 939 Floyd citizens made an initial claim with the state, compared to 1,415 the same time last year.

Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Director Heather Seckman said her office was glad to see the new numbers.

“We are having companies that are hiring back and we also have some retailers that are doing some hiring,” Seckman said. “We also have some industry, primary employers, who are hiring beyond what they had originally laid off.”

The DOL report also indicated 38,000 Floyd County residents were on a payroll in March, down from 38,300 in March of last year.

Personnel at the Department of Labor said claims were down in the construction and manufacturing sectors, but up in textiles.

The monthly report from Atlanta also indicated there were 261,500 long-term unemployed Georgians in March (those who have been out of work for 27 weeks or longer). This represents an increase of 56,800, or 27.7 percent, from 204,700 in March 2010. The state does not provide long-term unemployed figures by county.

The state labor office pumped more than $981,000 in unemployment insurance benefits into Floyd County in March, with the average check valued at $234.71 per week.