Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Savannah’s unemployment rate decreased in June.

Due to the effects of COVID-19, all MSAs continue to see stinted yearly growth, yet monthly gains in nearly all major sectors are beginning to spike.   

“June continued to show positive growth across all MSAs,” said Commissioner of Labor Mark Butler. “We saw almost all major indicators head in the right direction but continue to work to support Georgia businesses and get Georgians back to work.” 

In Savannah, the unemployment rate decreased 2.2 percentage points in June, reaching 8.6 percent. A year ago, the rate was 3.5 percent. 

Savannah ended June with 175,000 jobs. That number increased by 6,600 from May to June but was down by 12,800 when compared to this time last year.

The labor force increased in June by 1,786 and ended the month with 181,956. That number is down 7,868 when compared to June of 2019.

Savannah finished the month with 166,248 employed residents.  That number increased by 5,471 over the month but is down by 16,920 when compared to the same time a year ago.

The number of unemployment claims went down by 35 percent in June. When compared to last June, claims were up by about 4,860 percent.