The Georgia Department of Labor announced that the unemployment rate in the Northwest Georgia region increased to 7.4 percent in May, up eight-tenths of a percentage point from 6.6 percent in April. The rate was 8.3 percent in May a year ago.
The rate increase was seasonal, as new graduates entered the labor force looking for full-time work, while other students searched for part-time summer jobs. The labor force rose by 3,171, up to 404,949 in May from 401,778 in April.
Also, there were 2,699 new claims for unemployment insurance filed in May, a decrease of 395, or 12.8 percent, from 3,094 in April.
Most of the decrease in claims came in administrative and support services, manufacturing, and construction. There were 4,282 claims filed in May 2013.
Metro Athens had the lowest area jobless rate at 5.7 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 9.8 percent.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for May was 7.2 percent, up from 6.9 percent in April. The rate was 8.4 percent in May a year ago.