Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Savannah recorded an unemployment rate of 2.6 percent in May, up two-tenths of a percent over the month. A year ago, the rate was 4.1 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 Savannah by 4,402 and ended the month with 200,968. That number is up 4,402 when compared to May of 2021.

Savannah finished the month with 195,718 employed residents. That number decreased by 94 over the month and is up by 7,124 when compared to the same time a year ago.

Savannah ended May with 199,500 jobs, an all-time high. That number increased by 800 from April to May and is up by 10,200 when compared to this time last year.

The number of unemployment claims went down by 9 percent in Savannah in May. When compared to last May, claims were down by about 87 percent.

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed about 9,945 active job postings in Savannah for May.