Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that the Coastal region’s unemployment rate fell again in July.
 
At the same time, the 10-county area saw its labor force fall and the number of employed residents grow.  All major indicators remain positive for the year.
 
“Georgia continues to be in a period of sustained growth,” Butler said. “There are no indicators in July that Georgia is going to slow down anytime soon. These seasonal dips are normal for this time of year and are temporary in nature.”
 
The July unemployment rate fell to 4 percent, down by .2 percent from June. That ranked fifth among 12 regional commissions. It was  4.9 percent one year ago.
 
The labor force fell in July by 671 to reach 333,064 total members. The number has climbed by nearly 800 over the past 12 months, or about 66 per month.
 
The Coastal  region added 62 employed residents in July, pushing its total to 319,863. That number has grown by more than 3,800 over the past year, or nearly 320 per month.   
 
Initial claims for unemployment grew by about 36 percent for the month. They  are up by about 17 percent when compared to last July.