Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that  the River Valley region’s unemployment rate dropped again in July.
 
At the same time, the 16-county area saw its labor force shrink and the number of employed grow.  All major indicators remain positive for the year.
 
“Georgia continues to be in a period of sustained growth,” Butler said. “There are no indicators in July that Georgia is going to slow down anytime soon. These seasonal dips are normal for this time of year and are temporary in nature.”

The July unemployment rate fell to 5.1 percent, down by .1 percent from June. That was 11th among 12 regional commissions. It was 6.3 percent one year ago.
 
The labor force dropped by 15 in July to reach 151,143 total members. The number has climbed by nearly 1,900 over the past year, or almost 160 a month.
 
The River Valley region added 267 employed residents in July, pushing its total to  143,491. That number has grown by more than 3,600 over the past year, or about 300 a month.
 
Initial claims for unemployment grew by about 30 percent for the month. They  are down by about 19 percent when compared to last July.