Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Wednesday that the Central Savannah River region decreased the amount of annual initial claims.

The 13-county area posted monthly decreases in labor force and employed residents, preliminary numbers show.

“In May, we saw much needed growth in our labor force in many local areas,” Butler said. “We also saw more Georgians become employed. Overall, we head into the summer with a good jobs report.”

The unemployment rate increased in May. The rate went up by 0.4 percentage points in May, settling at 4.0 percent. A year ago, the rate was 4.2 percent.

The labor force decreased in May by 2,234. The May total was 210,265. That number is down by 1,442 from the total from May 2018.

Central Savannah River ended May with 201,828 employed residents.  The number decreased by 3,100 in May and was down 1,020 as compared to last May.

The number of unemployment claims increased in May by about 25 percent. When compared to last May, claims were down by about 10 percent.