June 27, 2019–12:07 p.m.

GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Rome added to its labor force again in May.

According to preliminary data, Rome also managed to lower initial claims and keep most annual numbers positive across the one-county metropolitan statistical area (MSA).

“May was a good month for Georgia,” Butler said. “Many of our local communities added more individuals to their workforce – which is what we needed to see happen. And, several added jobs and even and set records. That’s a great combination.”

The unemployment rate increased by 0.4 percentage points in May, reaching 3.6 percent. A year ago, the rate was 3.8 percent.

Rome ended May with 42,200 jobs. That’s a decrease of 200 jobs over the month and an increase of 700 jobs when compared to the same time a year ago.

The labor force increased in May by 164. The total was 44,282. That number is up by 173 from the total from May 2018.

Rome ended May with 42,678 employed residents.  That number decreased by nine over the month but increased by 236 when compared to the same time a year ago.

The number of unemployment claims decreased by about 29 percent in May. When compared to last May, claims were up by about 22 percent.

The metropolitan statistical area includes just Floyd County.

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.comshowed about 381 active job postings in metro Rome for May.

In Bartow County, the unemployment rate was 3.3%, up from 3% in April but down from 3.5% in May of last year.

Chattooga County’s jobless rate checked in at 3.5%, up from 3.4% the month before and unchanged from last year.

Gordon County saw its unemployment rate increase from 2.9% to 3.2% over the month.  It was 3.3% in May of 2018.

And Polk County checked in at 3.7% in May, up from 3.2% in April but down from 3.8% in May of last year.