The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that Metro Atlanta’s unemployment rate for June was 6.0 percent, up one-tenth of a percentage point from 5.9 percent in May. The rate in June 2014 was 7.3 percent.

The rate rose as the number of jobs declined and new layoffs, as measured by unemployment insurance claims, increased. 

The number of jobs in Atlanta decreased by 3,500, or 0.1 percent, in June to 2,579,300. The job losses came in education and health services, 4,800; government, mostly in state government, 2,500; and leisure and hospitality, 1,300. These losses were offset somewhat by gains in professional and business services, 2,200; other services, 1,100; and information services and manufacturing, 1,000 each. In the previous three years, the Atlanta MSA has lost an average of 1,800 jobs in June.

However, there was an over-the-year gain of 77,300 jobs, or 3.1 percent, from June 2014. Most of the job growth came in professional and business services, 20,300; trade, transportation and warehousing, 17,700; leisure and hospitality, 13,400; education and health services, 8,400; government, 5,900; financial activities, 5,000; construction, 4,500; and manufacturing, 2,100. 

Also, the number of initial claims for unemployment insurance rose by 1,984, or 14.4 percent, to 15,737 in June. Most of the increase came in manufacturing, health care and social assistance, retail trade, educational services, and construction. Over the year, claims were down by 1,973, or 11.1 percent, from 17,710 filed in June 2014.     

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 5.3 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 8.2 percent.  

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for June was 6.1 percent, down from 6.3 percent in May. It was 7.3 percent in June 2014.