The unemployment rate in metro Gainesville for July rose to 7 percent, up six-tenths of a percentage point from 6.4 percent in June, the Georgia Department of Labor announced today.

The jobless rate in July 2013 was 7.1 percent.

The July rate increase is primarily due to seasonal factors, such as temporary layoffs in educational services and manufacturing, the Labor Department stated in its monthly news release.

Most of the laid-off workers have returned to their jobs.

There were 78,500 jobs in Gainesville in July, down by 600, or 0.8 percent, from June. The losses were mostly in local government.

However, there was an over-the-year gain of 1,600 jobs, or 2.1 percent, from July 2013. The primary growth was in retail trade and transportation.

The state reported 614 new claims for unemployment insurance filed in July, an increase of 23, or 3.9 percent, from 591 in June.

Most of the increase was due to temporary layoffs in manufacturing. There were 969 claims filed in July 2013, down 36.6 percent.

The jobless rate in the Georgia Mountains region increased to 7.1 percent in July, up five-tenths of a percentage point from 6.6 percent in June. The rate was 7.5 percent in July a year ago.

Across Georgia, metro Athens again had the lowest area jobless rate at 6.6 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 11.4 percent.

Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for July was 7.8 percent, up from 7.4 percent in June.