Heart of Georgia-Altamaha’s unemployment rate declines to 5.7 percent in May

ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) announced today that the unemployment rate in the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region in May was 5.7 percent, down two-tenths of a percentage point from 5.9 percent in April. In May 2016, the rate was 6.3 percent.
The rate declined as the number of employed residents rose and there was a decrease in layoffs as measured by initial claims for unemployment insurance.
There were 921 more Heart of Georgia-Altamaha area residents employed in May than in April, pushing the total number to 111,145. The increase in the number of employed residents in May grew by 1,478 from May 2016.
From April to May, the labor force, which consists of employed residents and those who are unemployed and actively looking for jobs, increased by 811 to 117,887. As the number of employed residents rose, the number of unemployed decreased by 110 to 6,742
Compared to May a year ago, the labor force had a net increase of 811. The number of employed grew by 1,478, and there were 667 fewer unemployed.
The number of initial claims for unemployment insurance declined by 104, or 9.3 percent, to 1,015. Most of the decrease came in manufacturing. Over the year, claims were down by 694, or 40.6 percent, from 1,709 in May 2016.
Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 3.9 percent, while the River Valley region had the highest at 6 percent.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for May was 4.9 percent, down from 5 percent in April. It was 5.3 percent in May 2016.
Job seekers and employers are encouraged to use GDOL’s online job listing service employgeorgia.com to search for jobs or recruit new employees. In May, 560 new job openings in the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region were posted on Employ Georgia. Throughout the state, 70,120 new job openings were posted.
Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at dol.georgia.gov
Visit dol.georgia.gov to learn more about career opportunities, Employ Georgia and other GDOL services for job seekers and employers and to connect with us on social media.