ATLANTA - Georgia labor officials say the state's unemployment rate increased to 8.3 percent in May.
The Georgia Department of Labor announced the seasonally adjusted rate early today, saying it was up one-tenth of a percentage point from 8.2 percent in April.
The rate increased because more job seekers entered the labor force looking for work, Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said in a statement. He said there was also a slight increase in layoffs, many of which were temporary.
"Despite the slight increase in the unemployment rate, Georgia employers continued to create jobs for the fourth consecutive month, giving us the largest number of jobs we've had since December 2008," Butler said. "And, it's very encouraging that the number of construction jobs has increased for the third consecutive month."
The May jobless rate was down eight-tenths of a percentage point from 9.1 percent in May a year ago.
But the number of layoffs rose by 4,238 -- or 9.9 percent -- to 46,882 in May, officials said. The increases came mostly in temporary layoffs in manufacturing, accommodations and food services, educational services, and health care and social assistance.