Jobless Rate Increases in Walton County, Georgia

Walton County’s unemployment rate rose by sixth-tenths of a percent from April to May, according to stats released by the Georgia Department of Labor Thursday.

The rate increased from 6.0 percent in April to 6.6 last month, following the trend statewide which saw jobless rates spike, partly due to new graduates and summer-job seekers being added to the work force.

The rate in Walton County was 7.5 percent last year at this time.

Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for May was 7.2 percent, up from 6.9 percent in April. The rate was 8.4 percent in May last year.

Metro Athens had the lowest area jobless rate at 5.7 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 9.8 percent. Oconee County had the lowest rate at 4.6 among counties.

Note: Local area unemployment data is not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.employgeorgia.com