Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Columbus added to its labor force in December.

According to preliminary data, Columbus saw its unemployment rate slightly increase across the five-county metropolitan statistical area (MSA).

“This was a very positive year for the state,” Butler said. “We saw over-the-year growth in almost every MSA, and our key jobs sectors continue to grow as the economy expands.”

In Columbus, the unemployment rate increased 0.1 percentage points in December, reaching 3.3 percent. A year ago, the rate was 4.3 percent.

The labor force increased in December by 28. The total was 123,187. That number has gone down by 2,367 when compared to December of 2018.

Columbus ended December with 123,300 jobs. That’s a decrease of 600 jobs over the month and a decrease of 1,500 jobs when compared to the same time a year ago.

Columbus ended December with 119,073 employed residents.  That number decreased by 153 over the month and went down by 1,059 when compared to the same time a year ago.

The number of unemployment claims went up by about 129 percent in December. When compared to last December, claims were up by about 7 percent.