Georgia employment sets more records despite rise in jobless rate

ATLANTA — Georgia’s unemployment rate rose slightly last month but remained well above the national rate, the state Department of Labor reported Thursday.

The Peach State’s jobless rate of 3.2% for May was eight-tenths lower than the national rate of 4.0%.

Several other employment indicators were up last month. The number of jobs in Georgia rose by 0.2% to an all-time high of almost 5 million, the state’s labor force was up to nearly 5.4 million — also a record — and the number of employed Georgians increased to more than 5.2 million, yet another all-time high.

“Despite national economic challenges and inflation, Georgia’s businesses are stepping up and creating more opportunities for hardworking Georgians to secure high-quality jobs,” state Commissioner of Labor Bruce Thompson said Thursday.

The job sectors posting the largest over-the-month gains in May were local government, which added 3,200 jobs; accommodation and food services, which gained 2,700 jobs; and health care and social assistance, which added 2,300 jobs.

On the downside, the state government sector lost 1,600 jobs last month, with durable goods down 1,500 and arts, entertainment and recreation losing 1,300 jobs.

Initial unemployment claims were down by 7% to 20,034 in May compared to the previous month, while jobless claims declined by 16% last month compared to May of last year.

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Capitol Beat News Service.