Even though the unemployment rate for Northeast Georgia increased by one-tenth of point to 4.5 percent for May, the jobless rate for the Gainesville metro held steady at 3.9 percent, according to the Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL).
The area unemployment rates were released Thursday morning by State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler.
While the Metro Gainesville rate was unchanged, employers created more jobs and laid off fewer workers, and the number of employed residents rose and the labor force grew, according to Butler.
The number of jobs in Metro Gainesville increased by 900, or 1 percent, to 89,800. The job growth came in the service-providing industries such as trade, transportation and warehousing and the goods-producing sector, which includes manufacturing and construction.
Over-the-year, a total of 3,500 jobs were added, a 4.1 percent growth rate, up from 86,300 in May 2016. Job growth came in services such as trade, transportation and warehousing, state government, and manufacturing and construction.
There were 846 more Metro Gainesville residents employed in May than in April, pushing the total number to 95,369. The increase in the number of employed residents in May grew by 3,774 from May 2016.
From April to May, the labor force, which consists of employed residents and those who are unemployed and actively looking for jobs, increased by 911 to 99,220. As the number of employed residents rose, the number of unemployed also increased by 65 to 3,851.
Compared to May a year ago, the labor force had a net increase of 3,776. The number of employed grew by 3,774, and there were two more unemployed.
The number of initial claims for unemployment insurance declined by 192, or 35.4 percent, to 351. Most of the decrease came in manufacturing. Over the year, claims were down by 285, or 44.8 percent, from 636 in May 2016.
Metro Gainesville continued to have the lowest area jobless rate, while the River Valley region had the highest at 6 percent.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for May was 4.9 percent, down from 5 percent in April. It was 5.3 percent in May 2016.
Job seekers and employers are encouraged to use GDOL’s online job listing service employgeorgia.com to search for jobs or recruit new employees. In May, 1,119 new job openings in Gainesville were posted on Employ Georgia. Throughout the state, 70,120 new job openings were posted.
Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at dol.georgia.gov
