Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that the number of unemployment claims filed in Albany fell in June.

According to preliminary data Albany also saw its number of annual jobs grow across the five-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.”

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

In Albany, the unemployment rate rose 0.5 percentage points in June, reaching 4.7 percent. A year ago, the rate was 5.4 percent.

Albany ended June with 62,300 jobs. That number fell by 800 over the month but increased by 300 jobs when compared to the same time a year ago.

The labor force decreased in June by 603. Albany ended the month with 66,001. That number shrunk by 1,161 when compared to June of 2018.

Albany finished the month with 62,896 employed residents.  That number decreased by 901 over the month and decreased by 671 when compared to the same time a year ago.

The number of unemployment claims went down by about 31 percent in June. When compared to last June, claims were down by about 41 percent.

The five-county MSA includes Baker, Dougherty, Lee, Terrell and Worth counties.