Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Southwest Georgia’s initial claims went down during December.
 
The 16-county region lost employed residents and numbers in the labor force for December.  Meanwhile, the unemployment rate inched up.
 
“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 unemployment rate for December, at 4.4 percent, was up 0.4 percent over the previous month. A year ago, the rate was 4.9 percent.
 
The labor force in Southwest Georgia went down by 1,780 in December to reach 150,744.  That number is down by 1,584 over the past year, an average monthly loss of about 130.  
 
Southwest Georgia lost 2,317 employed residents in December, bringing the total to 144,117. The number is down 787 for the year, or about 65 per month.
 
Claims for unemployment insurance fell by 39 percent in December. They were up by 16 percent when compared to the same month a year ago.