Metro Atlanta’s unemployment rate rose to 5.9 percent in May from 5.6 percent in April, the state labor department said Thursday.
The region’s jobless rate typically rises in May.
Here’s what happened:
— More people were looking for work. The labor force grew by 23,594.
— The number of jobs increased, but not as much as the number of job-seekers. The metro economy added 16,000 jobs in May. During the past year, metro Atlanta added 79,600 jobs.
— During the past month, all the job gains came in the private sector. Leisure and hospitality added 9,700 jobs; professional and business services — 6,500; construction — 1,600; trade, transportation and warehousing — 1,500 jobs.
— The largest losses came in government, down 2,500 jobs.
— The number of layoffs — first-time claims for unemployment benefits — declined slightly from April to May and were down 12 percent over the past year.
— For the core metro Atlanta counties, Cobb had the lowest unemployment rate at 5.3 percent. Gwinnett was next with 5.4 percent, followed by Fulton and DeKalb (6.2 percent) and Clayton (7.7 percent).
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