Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that unemployment rate decreased in Columbus for the month of July.
 
According to preliminary data, Columbus saw fewer initial unemployment claims filed over the year across the five-county metropolitan statistical area (MSA).
 
“July was another solid month for Georgia,” Butler said. “The state numbers were strong and many of our local communities added to their labor force, which was badly needed. Many areas of the state also increased the number of employed residents. Georgia continues to head in the right direction.”
 
Nationally, the unemployment rate was unchanged in July at 3.7 percent. Georgia’s rate dropped 0.1 percentage points to settle at 3.6 percent.  A year ago, Georgia’s unemployment rate sat at 3.8 percent.
 
Rates fell across 12 of Georgia’s 14 MSAs.
 
In Columbus, the unemployment rate decreased 0.1 percentage points in July, reaching 4.4 percent. A year ago, the rate was 5.0 percent.
 
Columbus ended July with 121,600 jobs. That’s a decrease of 1,300 jobs over the month and a decrease of 400 jobs when compared to the same time a year ago.
 
The labor force decreased in July by 701. The total was 123,646. That number has gone down by 1,858 when compared to July of 2018.
 
Columbus ended July with 118,256 employed residents.  That number decreased by 437 over the month and decreased by 1,029 when compared to the same time a year ago.
 
The number of unemployment claims went up by about 54 percent in July. When compared to last July, claims were down by about 6 percent.