Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Hinesville posted record job numbers again in June, despite an increase in the unemployment rate.

Hinesville notched increases in the labor force, number of employed and jobs, and all indicators remain positive for the year for the two-county metropolitan statistical area.    

During the month, the labor force grew faster than could be absorbed through hiring, causing the unemployment rate to rise. Butler remains confident about the overall job market.

“The Georgia job market is very strong,” said Butler. “An uptick in the unemployment rate is common this time of year due to an increase in high school and college graduates entering the workforce.”

The labor force saw typical gains in June as students and recent graduates sought summer employment. It grew by 334 to 34,448 – an all-time high. It remains up by 1,311 for the year.

As a result, the June unemployment rate increased to 4.4 percent, up .5 percent from the previous month but down from 5.2 percent one year ago.

Hinesville gained 200 jobs for the month, its total growing to 20,800 – an all-time high. This puts Hinesville up 900 jobs for the year.

The number of employed also increased in June, with Hinesville gaining 122 employed residents. At a record 32,918 total employed residents, Hinesville is up by 1,517 for the year.

Initial claims for unemployment fell by about 25 percent for the month and are down by about 32 percent from last year.

The Hinesville metropolitan statistical areas covers Liberty and Long counties.

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 145 active job postings in metro Hinesville for June.

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