Metro Gainesville’s unemployment rate for May was 3.8 percent, down four-tenths of a percentage point from 4.2 percent in April. The rate in May 2015 was 5 percent. The Georgia Department of Labor released the May numbers Thursday morning.
The rate declined as employers created more jobs and more people were employed.
The number of jobs increased by 500, or 0.6 percent, to 86,800 in May. Most of the increase came in the service-related industries such as trade, transportation and warehousing.
Over the year, Gainesville gained 2,900 jobs, a 3.5 percent growth rate, up from 83,900 in May 2015. Most of the job gains came in the service-related industries such as retail trade, along with the goods producing sector, which includes manufacturing and construction.
Gainesville’s labor force, which consists of people employed and those who are unemployed and actively looking for work, increased by 712 to 94,886. The number of employed people increased by 1,011, while the number of unemployed workers dropped by 299.
The number of initial claims for unemployment insurance declined by 32, or 4.8 percent, to 636 in May. Most of the decrease came in administrative and support services. However, over the year, claims were up by 244, or 62.2 percent, from 392 in May 2015.
Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 3.8 percent, while the Heart of Georgia/Altamaha region had the highest at 6.1 percent.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for May was 5.3 percent, down from 5.5 percent in April. It was 5.9 percent in May 2015.
Job seekers and employers are encouraged to use the GDOL’s online job listing service, www.employgeorgia.com to search for jobs or recruit new employees. In May, 921 jobs in Gainesville were posted on Employ Georgia. Throughout the state, 63,508 jobs were posted.
