The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) announced today that Metro Savannah’s unemployment rate in June was 4.8 percent, up four-tenths of a percentage point from 4.4 percent in May. In June 2016, the rate was 5.5 percent.

The rate rose as the number of unemployed residents and labor force increased.

There were 763 more unemployed residents, as the number increased to 8,844. But, there were 1,066 fewer unemployed than in June 2016.

The labor force, which grew partially because high school and college students entered the job market, increased by 727 to 185,649.  The labor force consists of employed residents and those who are unemployed and actively looking for jobs. Compared to June a year ago, the labor force had a net increase of 3,848.

There were 36 fewer Metro Savannah residents employed in June than in May, lowering the total number to 176,805. However, there was an increase of 4,914 in the number of employed residents from 171,891 in June 2016.

The number of jobs in Metro Savannah increased by 400, or 0.2 percent, to 180,400. The job growth came in manufacturing, local government and other services, which includes repair, maintenance, personal and laundry services.

Over-the-year, a total of 3,700 jobs were added, a 2.1 percent growth rate, up from 176,700 in June 2016. The job growth came in leisure and hospitality, state and local government, professional and business services, education and health services, and trade, transportation and warehousing, along with other services.   

The number of initial claims for unemployment insurance, a measure of new layoffs, decreased by 54, or 7.5 percent, to 666. Most of the decrease came in professional and technical services, educational services and construction, along with information services, finance and insurance.  Over the year, claims were down by 353, or 34.6 percent, from 1,019 in June 2016.

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.3 percent, while the River Valley region had the highest at 6.4 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for June was 4.8 percent, down from 4.9 percent in May. It was 5.3 percent in June 2016.

Job seekers and employers are encouraged to use the GDOL’s online job listing service employgeorgia.com to search for jobs or recruit new employees. In June, 2,926 new job openings in Savannah were posted on Employ Georgia. Throughout the state, 71,261 new job openings were posted.

Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at dol.georgia.gov