ATLANTA — Georgia's jobless rate has risen slightly, marking its first increase in nearly a year.

The Georgia Department of Labor said Thursday that the state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 9 percent in June.

That's up one-tenth of a percentage point, from 8.9 percent in May

State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said the unemployment rate traditionally inches up in June.

He said that's because new graduates and people searching for summer jobs enter the job market at the same time that private and public schools are laying off employees for the summer.