The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that Metro Columbus’ unemployment rate for July was 7.5 percent, up one-tenth of a percentage point from 7.4 percent in June. The rate in July 2014 was 8.8 percent.

The rate rose as the number of jobs in Columbus decreased by 400, or 0.3 percent, in July to 124,000. The job losses came mostly in local government and manufacturing.   

However, there was an over-the-year gain of 2,700 jobs, or 2.2 percent, from July 2014. Most of the job growth came in professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, education and health services, and trade transportation and warehousing. 

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 5.5 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 8.3 percent.  

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for July was 6.0 percent, down from 6.1 percent in June. It was 7.2 percent in July 2014.