Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that in July Rome’s labor force and number of employed grew as all major indicators continued be positive for the year.
 
At the same time, jobs fell for the month inside the one-county metropolitan statistical area (MSA). Unemployment claims also increased for the month.  
 
“Georgia’s continues to be in a period of sustained growth,” Butler said. “There are no indicators in July that Georgia is going to slow down anytime soon. These seasonal dips are normal for this time of year.”
 
The July unemployment rate climbed to 4.7 percent – 11th among all 14 MSAs in Georgia. The rate climbed .1 percent from the previous month. It was  6.2 percent one year ago.
 
The labor force grew in July by 212 to reach 45,356 total members. Rome’s work force has climbed by nearly 600 over the past 12 months.
 
Rome added 163 to its number of employed residents in July, pushing its total to 43,245. That number has grown by about 1,200 over the past year.  
 
Rome  saw jobs drop by 200 to reach 41,400. This puts Rome up  700 jobs for the year.
 
Initial claims for unemployment are up by about 50 percent for the month and are down by about 38 percent for the year.