Gainesville added 300 jobs in March, according to state data released Thursday.

The metropolitan statistical area, which includes Hall County, ended March with 94,900 jobs, an increase of about 3,500 from last year. Unemployment fell 0.2 percentage points, to 3 percent. The national rate is 3.8 percent.

Unemployment claims fell in March by 20 percent but were up 32 percent from the same time last year. Claims decreased in the fields of construction and administrative and support services.

Gainesville ended March with 100,301 employed residents.

“Overall, March was a very good month,” Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said in a statement. “Georgia’s economy, just like the nation’s, is running strong. Our communities are consistently adding jobs and unemployment rates are falling. The numbers continue to improve.”

Compiled from Georgia Department of Labor press release