Unemployment Rate Drops to 4.9 in May

The Georgia Department of Labor announces the state’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.9 percent in May, setting a new record for the number of Georgians employed.

The last time the state recorded a jobless rate as low as 4.9 percent was in October 2007.

There were 9,685 more Georgians employed in May than in April, pushing the total number to another record of over 4 million.

From April to May, the labor force increased by 3,664 to a record of over 5 million.

Meanwhile, the number of jobs in Georgia decreased by 0.1 percent. Those losses were primarily seasonal jobs in professional and business services and leisure and hospitality.

Butler said that despite this decrease in jobs is there is a surplus in jobs.

“We did show a loss in jobs, and at first that seems like something you should be concerned about, however, we actually have a fairly large surplus in jobs,” said Butler. “I think that’s one of the things that’s really driving people into our work force, either those that maybe live out of state that are seeing what’s going on in Georgia or individuals who maybe didn’t think that there was a job for them.”

According to the GDOL’s online job listing service, Employ Georgia, there were 70,120 new job postings statewide for May.

For more information or to learn more about job opportunities, visit employgeorgia.com and connect with the GDOL on social media.