Savannah-area employers continued to bulk up their workforces in July.
Retailers and manufacturers in Chatham, Bryan and Effingham counties led another monthly surge in employment in the month, according to estimates from the Georgia Department of Labor. The agency projects Savannah employers added 300 jobs in the month and estimates the number of employed workers in the area is now larger than a year ago by 1,000 positions, the first year-over-year improvement this calendar year.
“It’s consistent with a slowly improving economy,” said Michael Toma, economist with Armstrong Atlantic State University. “We’ve had fairly consistent strengthening in the local economy. We’re in a slow period of economic recovery. We won’t see rapid growth, but we will keep our pace.”
Among the sectors employing more workers this July than last were manufacturing, wholesale trade, retail trade, information services, professional and business services and tourism. Those industries posting losses were construction, transportation, financial activities and government.
The Savannah-area unemployment rate for July will be released next week. The state’s rate ticked up three-tenths of a point in the month to 9.3 percent, due in large part to 7,731 new jobseekers. Georgia’s labor force has increased in 14 of the last 15 months, according to the labor department.
Savannah’s unemployment rate was 9.1 percent in June. The rate rises in the summer months historically as recent college graduates enter the workforce and employers, particularly those in education, trim their workforces due to seasonal factors.
Bucking the seasonal trend in July were tourism-related employers. Savannah leisure and hospitality sector added an estimated 100 jobs in July, and part of the 600 new retail positions can also be attributed to tourism.
Last July, tourism shed 200 jobs after losing 400 more in June. By comparison, the two month period this year has seen a 400-job increase in the sector.
“June and July have been really strong performers, especially for our hotels, and August is looking strong,” said Joe Marinelli, president of Visit Savannah, the local convention and visitors bureau. “Our summers are picking up.”
The labor department data released Thursday also included revised numbers on June employment. The agency cut June's projected gains of 1,000 jobs to 600 actual new jobs. The revised numbers mean Savannah private-sector employers added 2,300 jobs in the second quarter that ended June 30.