The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that Metro Macon’s unemployment rate for July was 8.6 percent, up four-tenths of a percentage point from 8.2 percent in June. The rate in July of last year was 9.0 percent.

The July rate increase is primarily due to seasonal factors, such as temporary layoffs in educational services and manufacturing. However, most of the laid-off workers have returned to their jobs.

There were 98,700 jobs in Macon in July, down by 200, or 0.2 percent, from June. Most of the loss came in state and local government.

However, there was an over-the-year gain of 100 jobs, or 0.1 percent, from July 2013. The primary growth was in professional, business and financial services, along with transportation and warehousing.

Also, there were 1,015 new claims for unemployment insurance filed in July, an increase of 98, or 10.7 percent, from 917 in June. Most of the increase came in administrative and support services, health care and social assistance, and construction and manufacturing. There were 1,221 claims filed in July 2013, down 16.9 percent.

Metro Athens had the lowest area jobless rate at 6.6 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 11.4 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for July was 7.8 percent, up from 7.4 percent in June.