The Georgia Department of Labor announced Thursday that the one-county Rome Metropolitan Statistical Area recorded an unemployment rate of 3.4% in May, up one-tenth over the previous month. A year ago, the rate was 3.4%.

“Georgia's strength isn't measured in single months — it's proven over time," said Georgia Labor Commissioner Bárbara Rivera Holmes. "Even with slight unemployment increases throughout Georgia's regions in May, most of our metropolitan areas are showing lower unemployment than a year ago. That resilience reflects our modern, adaptive workforce, which is what keeps Georgia the No. 1 state for business in today's competitive, global marketplace.”

The labor force in Rome decreased by 50 from the previous month and increased by 446 from the same month last year, reaching 48,231.

Rome finished the month with 46,591 employed residents, down 116 from the previous month and up 443 from the same time last year.

Rome ended May with 47,700 jobs. That number increased by 200 over the month and rose by 700 over the year.

In May, initial unemployment claims in Rome decreased by 144 from the previous month and increased by 18 from the same month a year ago, totaling 320.