Grady’s unemployment remains among the lowest in the region

Jobless numbers released last week by the Georgia Department of Labor indicate a slight uptick in the unemployment numbers for Grady County in May.
Labor Department figures show the county’s unemployment rate stood at 6.4 percent, up from 5.9 percent in April but down from 7.5 percent in May 2014.
Rates for neighboring counties also showed a small increase. The May numbers for Decatur County stood at 7.0 percent up from 6.7 in April, but below the 8.4 percent in May 2014.
Mitchell County’s May 2015 unemployment is 7.1 percent, up from 6.7 percent in April, but down from 8.1 percent in May 2014.
Thomas County unemployment in May was 7.6 percent, up ever-so-slightly from 7.1 percent in April, but below the 8.7 percent in May 2014.
The unemployment rate in the Southwest Georgia region in May was 7.2 percent, up five-tenths of a percentage point from 6.7 percent in April. The rate in May 2014 was 8.4 percent.
The rate rose primarily as the labor force grew by 1,733 to 144,803. While new entrants are searching for work, they are counted as unemployed. The growth in the labor force increased the number of unemployed residents by 742. Last year in May, the labor force declined by 3,398.
And, as the labor force increased, so did the number of new layoffs, as measured by initial claims for unemployment insurance. The number of claims region-wide rose by 107, or 9.6 percent, to 1,219 in May. Most of the increase came in real estate, rental and leasing. Over the year, claims were down by 242, or 16.6 percent, from 1,461 filed in May 2014.    
Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 5.1 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 7.7 percent.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for May was 6.3 percent, up from a revised 6.2 percent in April. It was 7.3 percent in May 2014.