Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Augusta recorded an unemployment rate of 3.1 percent in May, up four-tenths of a percent over the month. A year ago, the rate was 3.8 percent.
“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 decreased in Augusta by 2,490 and ended the month with 268,458. That number is up 2,401 when compared to May of 2021.

Augusta finished the month with 260,070 employed residents. That number decreased by 3,493 over the month and is up by 4,156 when compared to the same time a year ago.

Augusta ended May with 243,700 jobs. That number is down 2,300 from April to May and increased by 6,400 when compared to this time last year.

The number of unemployment claims went down by 5 percent in Augusta in May. When compared to last May, claims were down by about 79 percent.

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed about 9,122 active job postings in Augusta for May.