The unemployment rate in the metro Gainesville area rose to a preliminary 4.7 percent in May, up five-tenths of a percent from a revised 4.2 percent in April, the Georgia Department of Labor reported today.

The state’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate jumped to 5.8 percent, up five-tenths of 1 percent from 5.3 percent in April.

The labor department blames layoffs in manufacturing and other industries for the increase, which pushed the number of unemployed workers to 284,816, the most ever recorded in Georgia.

Georgia’s rate is higher than the national unemployment rate of 5.5 percent, and has been for four months running.

The jobless rate in the Georgia Mountains area rose to 4.9 percent, up four-tenths of 1 percent from a revised 4.5 percent in April.

Job growth in May failed to keep pace with the number of job seekers looking for work, contributing to the rise in the unemployment rate. Preliminary unadjusted data from April to May show Georgia gained only 9,400 payroll jobs, an increase of two-tenths of 1 percent. The data includes workers who hold more than one job.

In the Gainesville area, the number of jobs was up 300, or four-tenths of 1 percent, from 77,400 to 77,700.

Georgia labor market data are available at www.dol.state.ga.us.