Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that the Central Savannah River region’s unemployment rate inched up in July.
 
At the same time, the 13-county area saw its labor force slip and number of employed residents also dip down.  All major indicators are 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 climbed to 4.9 percent, up by .1 from June. That ranked 10th among 12 regional commissions. It was  5.9 percent one year ago.
 
The labor force fell in July by 59 to reach 215,442 total members. The number has climbed by more nearly 6,000 over the past 12 months, or an average gain of nearly 500.
 
The Central Savannah River region lost 237 employed residents in July, pushing its total to  204,917. That number has grown by more than 7,700 over the past year, or an average monthly gain of about 650.  
 
Initial claims for unemployment grew by about 126 percent for the month. They  are up by about 40 percent when compared to last July.