The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that metro Athens’ unemployment rate increased to 7.2 percent in June, up 1.0 percent, from 6.2 percent in May. The rate was 7.4 percent in June a year ago.

The rate increased primarily because of two seasonal factors: large numbers of education workers are unemployed during the summer and new graduates are considered unemployed until they find a job.

While the jobless rate increased, the number of jobs in metro Athens decreased by 300, or three-tenths of a percentage point, from 88,100 in May to 87,800 in June. Most of the job loss came in local government.

However, over the year, the number of jobs increased by 1,500, or 1.7 percent, from 86,300 in June 2012. Most of the job gains came in the private sector, including professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, and trade and transportation.

The labor force, which is the number of people employed plus those unemployed but actively looking for work, declined to 112,867 in June, down by 261 from 113,128 in May. It was up by 1,016 from 111,851 in June 2012.

Metro Athens had the lowest area jobless rate at 7.2 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 12.9 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for June was 8.6 percent, up from 8.3 percent in May. The rate was 9.1 percent in June a year ago.