The unemployment rate in the Gainesville area rose four-tenths of a percentage point to 8.9 percent in May, the Georgia Department of Labor reported today.

The jobless rate was up to 9.2 percent in both the Georgia Mountains and Northeast Georgia statistical regions, and is at 11.5 percent in North Georgia overall.

Unemployment is at 9.6 in metro Atlanta, 6.9 percent in Athens.

Georgia's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate jumped to 9.7 percent in May, the highest in state history and up from 9.2 percent in April.

Last month, 463,883 unemployed Georgians were looking for work, an increase of 62 percent from May of 2008. Of that number, 157,544, or 34 percent, are receiving state unemployment insurance benefits, while approximately another 90,000 are receiving federal extended benefits.

Georgia's unemployment rate remained above the national rate of 9.4 percent for the 19th consecutive month. The statewide number of payroll jobs in May decreased 217,000, 5.2 percent, from the same time last year.

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