The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that the unemployment rate in the Middle Georgia region in May was 5.2 percent, down two-tenths of a percentage point from 5.4 percent in April.  The rate in May 2015 was 6.7 percent.

The rate declined as the number of employed residents rose by 1,462 and the Middle Georgia region’s labor force increased by 961 to 214,030.     

The number of initial claims for unemployment insurance declined by 79, or 6.7 percent, to 1,093 in May. Most of the decrease came in manufacturing. And, over the year, claims were down by 794, or 42.1 percent, from 1,887 in May 2015.

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 3.8 percent, while the Heart of Georgia/Altamaha region had the highest at 6.1 percent. 

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for May was 5.3 percent, down from 5.5 percent in April. It was 5.9 percent in May 2015.

Job seekers and employers are encouraged to use the GDOL’s online job listing service, www.employgeorgia.com to search for jobs or recruit new employees.  In May, 2,219 jobs in the Middle Georgia region were posted on Employ Georgia. Throughout the state, 63,508 jobs were posted.