Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Wednesday that the Northwest region added to its workforce and number of employed residents in May.

Preliminary results showed that the 12-county area also had fewer unemployment claims filed in May than April.  

“In May, we saw much needed growth in our labor force in many local areas,” Butler said. “We also saw more Georgians become employed. Overall, we head into the summer with a good jobs report.”

The unemployment rate rose in May. The rate increased 0.2 percentage points in May, settling at 3.3 percent. A year ago, the rate was 3.5 percent.

Nationally, the rate stayed constant at 3.6 percent. Georgia’s rate maintained at 3.8 percent. 

The labor force increased in May by 2,392. The total came to 419,064.  That number is up by 153 from the total from May 2018.

The Northwest region ended May with 405,124 employed residents.  The number increased by 1,561 in May and 1,072 as compared to last May.

The number of unemployment claims went down in May by 40 percent. When compared to last May, claims were up by about 2 percent.