Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that the Middle Georgia region saw its labor force increase in June.
 
The 11-county area also posted a decrease in initial unemployment claims, preliminary numbers show.
 
“Georgia’s been in an extended growth cycle,” said Butler. “In June, our state and local communities added jobs and employed more people.”
 
Nationally, the unemployment rate inched up 0.1 percent points in June to reach 3.7 percent. Georgia’s rate dropped 0.1 percentage points to settle at 3.7 percent.
 
In the region, the unemployment rate increased in June by 0.5 percentage points, settling at 4.2 percent. A year ago, the rate was 4.7 percent.
 
The labor force increased in June by 666. The June total was 220,015. That number is down by 1,165 from the total from June 2018.
 
Middle Georgia ended June with 210,812 employed residents.  The number decreased by 328 in June and went down by 43 as compared to last June.
 
The number of unemployment claims decreased in June by about 3 percent. When compared to last June, claims were down by about 3 percent.