Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that all Regional Commissions recorded a rise in unemployment rates in May.
“Even though the labor force increased in all of our regions, counties and metropolitan service areas, job postings continue to outpace those gains placing strain on employers to find talent for open positions,” said Comm. Butler.  “Many areas across our state are experiencing difficulty in filling many of the seasonal, temporary jobs normally filled with summer workers, due to the opportunities in full-time employment.”

The labor force was up in the Coastal Georgia Regional Commission, Georgia Mountains Regional Commission, Heart of Georgia Regional Commission, Middle Georgia Regional Commission, Northeast Georgia Regional Commission, Northwest Georgia Regional Commission, River Valley Regional Commission, Southern Georgia Regional Commission, Southwest Georgia Regional Commission, and Three Rivers Regional Commission.

Northwest Georgia Regional Commission – Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Fannin, Floyd, Gilmer, Gordon, Haralson, Murray, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, Walker, and Whitfield counties.

• The May preliminary unemployment rate was up four-tenths to 2.6 percent o-t-m, the rate was 3.3 percent one year ago.
• The labor force was up 901 o-t-m and up 6,949 o-t-y, to 430,046.
• The number of employed was down 890 o-t-m and up 9,832 o-t-y, to 418,761.
• Initial claims were up 339 (25 percent) o-t-m and down 5,054 (-75 percent) o-t-y, to 1,702.
• Initial claims were up o-t-m in Manufacturing and Professional, Scientific and Technical Services, and down o-t-y in Trade and Accommodation and Food Services.
• There were 6,042 jobs posted on Employ Georgia.