Labor Dept: Athens unemployment increases

The state Labor Department says Athens recorded an unemployment rate of 2.5 percent in May. That is up four-tenths of one percent from the month before. A year ago, the jobless rate was 3.4 percent for Clarke, Oconee, Oglethorpe, and Madison counties, the four counties that comprise the Athens metro.

“Even though the labor force increased in all of our regions, counties, and metropolitan service areas, job postings continue to outpace those gains placing strain on employers to find talent for open positions,” said Labor Commissioner Mark Butler.  “Many areas across our state are experiencing difficulty in filling many of the seasonal, temporary jobs normally filled with summer workers, due to the opportunities in full-time employment.”

The labor force increased in Athens by 319 and ended the month with 103,455. That number is up 4,159 when compared to May of 2021.

Athens finished the month with 100,875 employed residents. That number decreased by 146 over the month and is up by 4,969 when compared to the same time a year ago.

Athens ended May with 101,400 jobs, an all-time high. That number increased by 200 from April to May and increased by 6,200 when compared to this time last year.

The number of unemployment claims were down by 13 percent in Athens in May. When compared to last May, claims were down by about 89 percent.

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