Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Wednesday that the Middle Georgia region saw its labor force increase in May.

The 11-county area also posted monthly gains in employed residents, along with a decrease in initial unemployment claims, preliminary numbers show.

“In May, we saw much needed growth in our labor force in many local areas,” Butler said. “We also saw more Georgians become employed. Overall, we head into the summer with a good jobs report.”

The unemployment rate increased in May. The rate went up by 0.3 percentage points, settling at 3.7 percent. A year ago, the rate was 3.9 percent.

The labor force increased in May by 1,508. The May total was 219,415. That number is down by 1,461 from the total from May 2018.

Middle Georgia ended May with 211,209 employed residents.  The number increased by 678 in May and went down 991 as compared to last May.

The number of unemployment claims decreased in May by about 10 percent. When compared to last May, claims were down by about 17 percent.