Area Unemployment Rises Slightly

May’s unemployment rate for metro Atlanta, including Cobb and Douglas counties, rose one-tenth of a point from April, moving to 9.7 percent over 9.6.

The jobless rate in metro Atlanta in May a year ago was 9.8 percent, according to a Thursday news release from the Georgia Department of Labor.

“The rate rose primarily because of two reasons,” the release says. “More than 21,000 new job seekers entered the labor force looking for work, and while about 15,000 of them found a job, about 6,000 did not.”

“Also,” it continues, “Atlanta had a net loss of 900 jobs, as an increase of 1,100 jobs in manufacturing and construction was offset by a loss of 2,000 service-related jobs.”

The lowest area rate, 7.2 percent, was recorded in metro Athens, while the highest, 12 percent, was in the heart of the Georgia-Altamaha region in the Dublin area, the release says.

Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged at 9.8 percent from April to May, it reads. The state’s jobless rate was 10 percent in May a year ago.

May marked the 46th consecutive month Georgia has exceeded the national unemployment rate, which is currently 9.1 percent, up from 9.0 percent in April, the release says.