Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Columbus posted mostly positive jobs numbers for the month of May.
 
Columbus saw increases in the labor force, number of employed residents, and jobs. At the same time, initial claims for unemployment increased in the five-county metropolitan statistical area.
 
“Georgia’s employment numbers remain strong,” Butler said. “Across the state, the unemployment rate either remained steady or dropped.”
 
Columbus gained 409 employed residents in May. At 120,795 total employed residents, Columbus is up by 2,908 for the year.
 
Columbus gained 900 jobs for the month, with total jobs settling at 122,500. This puts Columbus up 1,500 jobs for the year.
 
The labor force also increased in May, up 400 for the month to 126,322. The number remains up 1,927 for the year.
 
The May unemployment rate was unchanged from the previous month  at 4.4 percent. The unemployment rate was 5.2 percent a year ago.  
 
Initial claims for unemployment grew by about 10 percent for the month but are down by about 10 percent for the year.
 
The five-county MSA includes the Georgia counties of Chattahoochee, Harris, Marion and Muscogee and Russell in Alabama.