Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Southwest Georgia saw an over-the-month and over-the-year decrease in its initial claims in May.

"This is a step in the right direction, but we need to continue to get Georgians back to work,” said Commissioner of Labor Mark Butler. “Increasing the amount of people in our labor force is critical for us to continue to improve.”

In Southwest Georgia, the unemployment rate remained unchanged, staying at 4.3 percent. A year ago, the rate was 7.1 percent.

The labor force decreased in May by 1,167. The May total was 147,260. That number is up by 105 from the total from May 2020.

Southwest Georgia ended May with 140,929 employed residents.  The number decreased by 1,073 in May and was up 4,152 as compared to last year.

Initial claims for unemployment decreased by 13 percent in May. When compared to last May, claims were down by about 83 percent.

The GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 3,273 active job postings in Southwest Georgia for May.

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