Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Athens’ June job numbers showed typical summer fluctuations. 

During the month, the labor force grew faster than could be absorbed through hiring, causing the unemployment rate to rise. At the same time, the number of jobs and employed residents fell across the four-county metropolitan statistical area (MSA).

Still, all indicators remain positive for the year.  

“The Georgia job market is very strong,” said Butler. “An uptick in the unemployment rate is common this time of year due to an increase in high school and college graduates entering the workforce.” 

The labor force grew by 700 to 104,235, a gain of 2,196 for the year.

As a result, the June unemployment rate increased to 4.1 percent, up .9 percent from the previous month but down from 4.9 percent one year ago.

Athens lost 200 jobs for the month, its total settling at 99,000. This puts Athens up 1,400 jobs for the year.

The number of employed also decreased in June, falling by 275 employed residents. At 99,943 total employed residents, Athens is up by 2,913 for the year. 

Initial claims for unemployment fell by about 4 percent for the month and are down by about 30 percent from last year. 

The four-county MSA includes Clarke, Madison, Oconee and Oglethorpe counties. 

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 945 active job postings in metro Athens for June.