Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Columbus recorded an unemployment rate of 3.2 percent in May, up two-tenths of a percent over the month. A year ago, the rate was 4.5 percent.

“Even though the labor force increased in all of our regions, counties, and metropolitan service areas, job postings continue to outpace those gains placing strain on employers to find talent for open positions,” said Labor Commissioner Mark Butler. “Many areas across our state are experiencing difficulty in filling many of the seasonal, temporary jobs normally filled with summer workers, due to the opportunities in full-time employment.”

The labor force increased in Columbus by 389 and ended the month with 122,911. That number is up 1,851 when compared to May of 2021.

Columbus finished the month with 118,960 employed residents. That number increased by 67 over the month and is up by 3,326 when compared to the same time a year ago.

Columbus ended May with 121,900 jobs. That number increased by 600 from April to May and increased by 4,700 when compared to this time last year.

The number of unemployment claims went down by 18 percent in Columbus in May. When compared to last May, claims were down by about 86 percent.

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed about 4,369 active job postings in Columbus for May.