Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Macon posted positive jobs numbers in June, despite an increase in unemployment.

Macon notched increases in the labor force, number of employed and jobs, and all indicators remain positive for the year for the seven-county metropolitan statistical area.

During the month, the labor force grew faster than could be absorbed through hiring, causing the unemployment rate to rise. The commissioner remains confident about the overall job market.

“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 saw typical gains in June as students and recent graduates sought  summer employment. It grew by 1,030 to 107,336, a gain of 1,400 for the year. 

As a result, the June unemployment rate increased to 4.5 percent, up .6 percent from the previous month but down from 5.3 percent one year ago. 

Macon gained 500 jobs for the month, its total growing to 104,000. This puts Macon up 600 jobs for the year.

The number of employed also increased in June, with Macon gaining 312 employed residents. At 102,509 total employed residents, Macon is up by 2,185 for the year.

Initial claims for unemployment fell by about 25 percent for the month and are down by about 32 percent from last year. 

The seven-county MSA includes the counties of Burke, Columbia, Lincoln, McDuffie, Richmond and Aiken and Edgefield in South Carolina.

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 1,157 active job postings in metro Macon for June.