Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Coastal Georgia’s labor force increased in December.

 At the same time, the 10-county area saw some major indicators remain positive for the year.

 “Last year was a strong one in terms of gains for the economy and jobs,” Butler said. “We saw new records set across the state. Our unemployment rate continued to trend downward. Jobs were created and more Georgians became employed.”

 The December unemployment rate dropped to 3.7 percent, up by 0.4 percent from November. The rate was 4.2 percent one year ago.

 The labor force rose in December by 235 to reach 326,109 total members. The number has fallen by 1,478 over the past 12 months, or an average loss of about 125 per month. 

 The Coastal region lost 1,129 employed residents in December, bringing its total to 313,938. That number has grown by 140 over the past year, or an average monthly gain of about 10.  

 Initial claims for unemployment were down by about 7 percent for the month. They are down by about 10 percent when compared to last December. 

 Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 3,797 active job postings in the Coastal region for December.

 The Coastal region includes Bryan, Bulloch, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long, McIntosh, and Screven counties.

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