The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that Metro Columbus’s unemployment rate increased to 8.5 percent in June, up five-tenths of a percentage point from 8.0 percent in May. The rate was 9.0 percent in June a year ago.

The rate increased because of seasonal factors, such as the summer job loss among non-contract school workers and an increase in the labor force as graduates and student entered the job market.

There were 122,300 jobs in Columbus in June, down by 100, or 0.1 percent, from 122,400 in May. Most of the loss came in state education.

However, there was an over-the-year gain of 600 jobs, or 0.5 percent, from 121,700 in June 2013. The primary growth was in professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, along with finance and insurance.

Also, there were 878 new claims for unemployment insurance filed in June, a decrease of 21, or 2.3 percent, from 899 in May. Most of the decrease in claims came in construction. There were 838 claims filed in June 2013.

The labor force grew by 489 to 131,023 from 130,534 in May.

Metro Athens had the lowest area jobless rate at 6.3 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 10.4 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for June was 7.4 percent, up from 7.2 percent in May. The rate was 8.4 percent in May a year ago.

Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.gdol.ga.gov.