Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Northwest Georgia saw an over-the-month and over-the-year decrease in its initial claims in May.

“This is a step in the right direction, but we need to continue to get Georgians back to work,” said Commissioner of Labor Mark Butler. “Increasing the amount of people in our labor force is critical for us to continue to improve.”

In Northwest Georgia, the unemployment rate increased by 0.1 percentage points, reaching 3.3 percent. A year ago, the rate was 8.7 percent.

The labor force decreased in May by 1,752. The May total was 421,853. That number is up by 12,263 from the total from May 2020.

Northwest Georgia ended May with 408,033 employed residents.  The number decreased by 1,949 in May and was up 34,004 as compared to last year.

Initial claims for unemployment decreased by 28 percent in May. When compared to last May, claims were down by about 89 percent.