Unemployment Numbers Down in May for Mountains Region

The unemployment rate in the Georgia Mountains region in May was 4 percent, down from 4.3 percent in April.

State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler noted that is over a full percentage point lower than this time last year. Butler said the rate declined as the number of employed residents rose.

One other note, however, is that the number of initial claims for unemployment insurance rose by 15.5 percent. Butler said the good news though is that most of those layoffs are temporary.

Butler reminds those looking for work to visit the Labor Department’s employment Web site at www.employgeorgia.com.