Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that the Central Savannah River region’s labor force jumped in June as summer job seekers hit the market.
 
With the labor force growing faster than could be absorbed through hiring, the unemployment rate also ticked up for the month.
 
Still, all indicators remain positive for the year.
 
The commissioner explained that despite an increase in the unemployment rate, he remains confident about the overall job market.
 
“The Georgia job market is very strong,” said Butler. “An increase in the unemployment rate is common this time of year due to an increase in high school and college graduates entering the workforce.”
 
The Central Savannah River labor force ended June at 215,362, up 6,904 over the last year. That number is up 1,163 over the last month, double the monthly average increase over the year.
 
As a result of this spike in the labor force, the unemployment rate in the Central Savannah River region increased by .8 percent to 4.8 percent. It was 5.7 percent a year ago. The rates in Georgia’s 12 regions vary from a low of 3.6 percent in the Georgia Mountains to 5.2 percent in the River Valley and Heart of Georgia regions.
 
The number of employed residents in the region fell to 205,020, down 513 from the previous month. The area remains up 8,345 for the year.
 
In the Central Savannah River region, initial claims for unemployment were down about 15 percent for the month and down about 15 percent for the year.
 
The Central Savannah area includes Burke, Columbia, Glascock, Hancock, Jefferson, Jenkins, Lincoln, McDuffie, Richmond, Taliaferro, Warren, Washington, and Wilkes counties.