Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Augusta posted a strong June with positive numbers for most major indicators.
 
According to preliminary data, Augusta added to its labor force and employed residents while jobs increased and fewer unemployment claims were filed. Annual numbers were also strong across the seven-county metropolitan statistical area (MSA).
 
“June was a very strong month for Georgia,” Butler said. “A number of local communities set records as the state added more than 20,000 jobs. Plus, we continued to add to our labor force and see the number of unemployment claims fall. Our local communities continue to prosper.”

Nationally, the unemployment rate inched up 0.1 percentage points in June to reach 3.7 percent. Georgia’s rate dropped 0.1 percentage points to settle at 3.7 percent.
 
In Augusta, the unemployment rate increased by 0.4 percentage points in June, reaching 4.2 percent. A year ago, the rate was 4.5 percent.
 
Augusta ended June with 244,400 jobs. The jobs number grew by 300 in June. The number is up by 3,100 when compared to the same time a year ago.
 
The labor force increased in June by 1,302 to reach 270,592. That number has gone up by 1,456 when compared to June of 2018.
 
Augusta ended June with 259,263 employed residents.  That number increased by 194 over the month and increased by 2,313 when compared to the same time a year ago.
 
The number of unemployment claims went down 5 percent in June. When compared to last June, claims were down by about 3 percent.
 
The seven-county MSA includes the counties of Burke, Columbia, Lincoln, McDuffie, Richmond and Aiken and Edgefield in South Carolina.