Metro Augusta’s July Unemployment Rate Unchanged At 10.2 Percent

ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) reported Friday that the preliminary unadjusted unemployment rate in the metro Augusta area was unchanged at 10.2 percent from June to July.

In Augusta, the number of unemployed workers increased in July to 26,641, up 8,802 from July of 2008. The number of payroll jobs in metro Augusta was 209,600, a loss of 5,600 or 2.6 percent from July of 2008.

Statewide, the number of payroll jobs in July decreased 199,400, or 4.9 percent, from July of 2008. The over-the-year losses came in manufacturing, trade, transportation and warehousing, professional and business services, including temporary employment agencies, and construction. Healthcare, private educational services, and local and state governmental education showed a combined increase of 19,600 jobs.

Meanwhile, the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 10.3 percent in July, up two-tenths of a percentage point from a revised 10.1 percent in June. Last month, 493,748 unemployed Georgians were looking for work, an increase of 63.6 percent from July of 2008.

The local area unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.