Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Savannah set records for jobs and employed residents in May.
 
Over the month, Savannah saw increases in the labor force, number of employed residents, and jobs. Savannah also saw a drop in the unemployment rate for the three-county metropolitan statistical area.
 
“Georgia’s employment numbers remain strong,” Butler said. “Across the state, the unemployment rate either remained steady or dropped.”
 
The number of employed increased in May as Savannah gained 582 employed residents. At a record 182,394 total employed residents, Savannah is up by 4,050 for the year.
 
Savannah gained 900 jobs for the month, with total jobs settling at 180,800 – an all-time high. This puts Savannah up 1,100 jobs for the year.
 
The labor force also increased in May by 395 for the month to 188,577. That's up 2,322 for the year.
 
The May unemployment rate, at 3.3 percent, was down .1 percent from the previous month, the third lowest unemployment rate among 14 metropolitan statistical areas in the state. The unemployment rate was 4.2 percent a year ago.  
 
Initial claims for unemployment grew by about 41 percent for the month and are up by about 2 percent for the year.
 
The MSA includes Bryan, Chatham, and Effingham counties.