State labor statistics released Thursday indicate that climbing unemployment figures in Georgia aren’t over yet.

Initial jobless claims rose 68.7 percent in May, as compared with May 2008 figures, according to the Georgia Department of Labor.

But in a press release about the May figures, State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond said that rising monthly initial jobless claims appear to be trending downward.

“The over-the-year increases in initial claims have declined from the triple-digits we experienced earlier in the year,” Thurmond said. “Initial claims were also down from April to May in 11 of our state’s 14 metro areas. I remain hopeful that Georgia’s job losses will continue to decline in the coming months.”

According to the statement released Thursday, most of the state’s initial claims were filed by laid-off workers in manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, construction, and administrative and support services. And, the number of jobless workers receiving unemployment insurance benefits rose 110 percent over the year, from 74,981 in May 2008 to 157,544 in May 2009.

Overall, Georgia’s unemployment rate, as calculated for April 2009, stands at 9.3 percent, an increase from 5.8 percent as calculated in April 2008.

In the 11-county area that composes the Middle Georgia Region, which includes Milledgeville, Macon and Warner Robins, the unemployment rate was 8.3 percent in April.

In Baldwin County, initial jobless claims declined from 656 in April to 354 in May, but as of press time, DOL media representatives could not confirm whether those figures include the first round of layoffs from local air conditioning manufacturer Rheem Manufacturing Company, which were announced in late May.

In other Labor Department news, Commissioner Thurmond announced earlier this week that the state has begun mailing extended unemployment insurance benefits checks to eligible recipients.

The extended benefits will provide up to 20 weeks of additional benefits to any eligible person who has exhausted all regular state unemployment insurance benefits, a DOL press release stated.