Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Valdosta recorded an unemployment rate of 2.8 percent in May, up four-tenths of a percent over the month. A year ago, the rate was 4.2 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 Valdosta by 151 and ended the month with 63,834. That number is down 302 when compared to May of 2021.

Valdosta finished the month with 62,039 employed residents. That number decreased by 106 over the month and is up by 584 when compared to the same time a year ago.

Valdosta ended May with 56,100 jobs. That number decreased by 100 from April to May and is up by 800 when compared to this time last year.

The number of unemployment claims went down by 25 percent in Valdosta in May. When compared to last May, claims were down by about 89 percent.

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed about 570 active job postings in Valdosta for May.