Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Wednesday that the Northeast Georgia region saw its labor force increase in May.

The 10-county area also posted monthly gains in employed residents, along with a decrease in initial unemployment claims.

“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 0.2 percentage points in May, settling at 3.2 percent. A year ago, the rate was 3.4 percent

The labor force grew in May by 1,866. The May total was 304,351. That number is down by 291 from the total of May 2018.

The Northeast region ended May with 294,483 employed residents.  The number increased by 924 in May and went up 317 when compared to last May.

The number of unemployment claims decreased in May by about 3 percent. When compared to last May, claims were down by about 22 percent.

The Three Rivers area includes Butts, Carroll, Coweta, Heard, Lamar, Meriwether, Pike, Spalding, Troup, and Upson counties.