Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Rome posted mostly positive jobs numbers for the month of May. 

Rome saw a drop in the unemployment rate and increases in the number of employed residents and jobs. Meanwhile, Rome saw an increase in initial claims for unemployment and a slight decrease in the labor force.

“Georgia’s employment numbers remain strong,” Butler said. “Across the state, the unemployment rate either remained steady or dropped.”

The number of employed increased in May. Rome gained five employed residents. At 43,148 total employed residents, Rome is up by 1,401 for the year.

Rome gained 100 jobs for the month, with total jobs settling at 41,600. This puts Rome up 800 jobs for the year.

The May unemployment rate was down 0.2 percent from the previous month, falling to 3.6 percent. The unemployment rate was 5.0 percent a year ago.  

The labor force also saw a modest drop in May, down 64 for the month to 44,782 but remaining up 836 for the year.

Initial claims for unemployment grew by about 55 percent for the month but are down by about 13 percent for the year. 

The metropolitan statistical area includes just Floyd County.