According to the state Department of Labor, layoffs in manufacturing and other industries pushed the total number of unemployed workers up from 258,191 in April to 284,816 in May, the highest level ever recorded in Georgia. The numbers pushed the state’s unemployment rate to 5.8 percent in May, up from 5.3 percent in April according to figures released Thursday. Locally, unemployment in Chattooga County actually fell from 9.4 percent in April to 8.8 percent in May. However, even with the drop, Chattooga County still has the highest unemployment rate in the ten-county Coosa Valley area.