Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Brunswick saw its initial claims for unemployment drop over-the-month and over-the-year.

"This is a step in the right direction, but we need to continue to get Georgians back to work,” said Commissioner of Labor Mark Butler. “Increasing the amount of people in our labor force is critical for us to continue to improve.”

In Brunswick, the unemployment rate increased in May by 0.3 percentage points, reaching at 4 percent. A year ago, the rate was 10.2 percent.

The labor force increased in Brunswick by 342 and ended the month with 53,135. That number is up 2,700 when compared to May of 2020.

Brunswick finished the month with 51,036 employed residents.  That number increased by 199 over the month and is up by 5,755 when compared to the same time a year ago.

Brunswick ended May with 43,400 jobs. That number increased by 700 from April to May and increased by 4,200 when compared to this time last year.

The number of unemployment claims went down by 18 percent 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 917 active job postings in metro Brunswick for May.

Visit dol.georgia.gov to learn more about career opportunities, Employ Georgia and other GDOL services for job seekers and employers and to connect with us on social media.