The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that the unemployment rate in the Middle Georgia region in May was 6.8 percent, up four-tenths of a percentage point from 6.4 percent in April. The rate in May 2014 was 7.8 percent.

The rate rose primarily as the labor force grew by 1,683 to 212,571. While new entrants are searching for work, they are counted as unemployed. The growth in the labor force increased the number of unemployed residents by 1,045. Last year in May, the labor force declined by 5,219.  

And, as the labor force increased, so did the number of new layoffs, as measured by initial claims for unemployment insurance. The number of claims rose by 356, or 23.3 percent, to 1,887 in May. Most of the increase came in manufacturing, health care and social assistance, and accommodations and food services. Over the year, claims were up by 282, or 17.6 percent, from 1,605 filed in May 2014.     

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 5.1 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 7.7 percent. 

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for May was 6.3 percent, a revised 6.2 percent in April. It was 7.3 percent in May 2014.