MARIETTA - Cobb's unemployment rate remained steady at 9.3 percent in May, according to preliminary data released Thursday by the Georgia Department of Labor.

It was the third consecutive month that the county's unemployment rate did not increase. Cobb's unemployment rate continues to be lower than that of metro Atlanta, the state and the nation. Georgia and metro Atlanta's unemployment rates are higher than the nation's.

According to the data, unemployment in metro Atlanta increased slightly, by 0.1 percent to 9.9 percent in May, up from 9.8 percent in April.

Fulton, Gwinnett, DeKalb, Clayton, Paulding, Henry and Rockdale counties all saw their jobless numbers increase.

Statewide, the unemployment rate went up by 0.2 percent to 9.9 percent last month, from 9.7 percent in April. It was the 32nd consecutive month Georgia has exceeded the national unemployment rate.

Meanwhile, the nation's unemployment rate dropped by 0.2 percent to 9.3 percent, from 9.5 percent in April. There were 14.4 million Americans looking for work in May, according to the data.

In May, there were 366,663 people in Cobb's labor force, of which 34,178 were unemployed. The state Labor Department defines "unemployed" as someone who is not working, but is actively seeking employment.

In Cobb, 3,633 people filed first-time claims in May for state unemployment insurance benefits. That is 4.67 percent more than the 3,471 people who filed in April, according to the state labor department. In May 2009, 3,765 people filed first-time claims in Cobb.

Statewide, 57,919 laid-off workers filed initial claims, a decline of 17,517, or 23.2 percent, from 75,436 filed in May 2009. Most of the first-time claims were filed in wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing, construction, and administrative and support services.

In a statement sent with the data, state Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond said small businesses would be the key to creating jobs.

"We will not see a significant improvement in Georgia's job market until small businesses begin hiring, which will lay a solid foundation for a sustainable economic recovery," he said.

The Cobb County chapter of JobSeekers - an organization of business professionals who volunteer to help unemployed workers through workshops, networking and guest speakers - meets at 7 a.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at the Varsity, 2790 Town Center Drive, in Kennesaw. Attendance is free. The next meeting is July 13.