Jobless Rates Spike in May in Metro Atlanta, Gwinnett County

New graduates and summer-job seekers contributed to a rise in the unemployment rate in May in metro Atlanta, according to the Georgia Department of Labor.

The department said Thursday the May jobless rate was 7.3 percent in the metro area, up from 6.5 percent in April. The rate was 8.0 percent last year.

There was an increase in the number of jobs in May in the region, but the influx of graduate and student workers in the labor force was a net decrease. Jobs rose 19,700, significantly more than April and March numbers, but the labor force rose by 24,421, the labor department said.

In Gwinnett County, the jobless rate rose to 6.5 percent, up from 5.8 in April. The rate was 7.1 last May.

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.
Meanwhile, 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 a year ago.

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