Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Gainesville set in June another record for total jobs.

Gainesville, preliminary numbers showed, posted monthly gains in jobs, labor force and employed residents. Meanwhile, the number of monthly unemployment claims increased slightly for the one-county metropolitan statistical area (MSA).  

“June was a very strong month for Georgia,” Butler said. “A number of local communities set records as the state added more than 20,000 jobs. Plus, we continued to add to our labor force and see the number of unemployment claims fall. Our local communities continue to prosper."

Gainesville ended June with 96,600 jobs. The MSA added 300 new jobs over the month and 4,600 jobs when compared to this time last year.

Gainesville also posted gains for jobs in private services.

Nationally, the unemployment rate inched up 0.1 percentage points in June to reach 3.7 percent. Georgia’s rate dropped 0.1 percentage points to settle at 3.7 percent.

Gainesville’s unemployment rate rose in June, increasing by 0.3 percentage points to settle at 3.1 percent. A year ago, the rate was 3.6 percent.

The labor force increased in June by 606 to reach 104,296. That number is up by 2,238 from the total of June 2018.

Gainesville ended June with 101,043 employed residents.  The number climbed by 226 in June and was up by 2,681 over June 2018’s total.

The number of unemployment claims rose in June by 7 percent and were down by 26 percent from the same period last year.    

Claims were up in manufacturing.

The one-county MSA includes Hall County.