State unemployment rate rises for May

ATLANTA - The state Department of Labor said today that Georgia&#39;s unemployment rate rose slightly in May. <br> <br> The unemployment rate was four-point-five percent in May -- up from four-point-two percent in April. <br> <br> In May 2001, the state&#39;s jobless rate was three-point-six percent. <br> <br> Employment totaled more than three (m) million jobs last month. <br> <br> Since January, the number of jobs in Georgia has grown by more than 59-thousand or one-point-five percent. The growth has been mostly in services, manufacturing and construction. <br> <br> &#34;Ironically, the increase in the state&#39;s unemployment rate may be an indication that many of our discouraged workers now feel better about their chances to return to work,&#34; said state Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond. <br> <br> The department did not release May unemployment rates for Georgia&#39;s metropolitan areas. Those figures will be released next week. <br>

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