ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Labor reported that the unemployment rate in the metro Savannah area rose to a preliminary 5.2 percent in June, up one-half of one percent from a revised 4.7 percent in May.

The unemployment rate in the Coastal Georgia area rose to a preliminary 5.3 percent in June, up four-tenths of one percent from a revised 4.9 percent in May.

Meanwhile, the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was unchanged at 5.7 percent from May to June, but it was up 1.3 percent from 4.4 percent in June of 2007. The current adjusted state rate, which is two-tenths of one percent higher than the U.S. seasonally-adjusted rate of 5.5 percent, continued to top the national rate for the past five months. 

Preliminary unadjusted data from May to June show Georgia lost 21,900 payroll jobs, a decrease of one-half of one percent. The job losses came across-the-board in manufacturing, construction, trade, and services. In metro Savannah, the number of jobs was down 600, or four-tenths of one percent, from 163,400 to 162,800.   

The local area unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.dol.state.ga.us.