Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that the Middle Georgia region lowered its initial claims in December.
 
At the same time, the 11-county area saw most 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 unemployment rate stayed flat at 4.1 percent for the month of December. It was 4.7 percent one year ago.
 
The labor force fell in December by 577 to reach 220,358 total members. The number has fallen by 359 over the past 12 months, or an average monthly loss of about 30.     
 
The Middle Georgia region lost 606 employed residents in December, pushing its total to 211,271. That number has grown by 965 over the past year, or an average monthly gain of about 80.  
 
Initial claims for unemployment fell by about 48 percent for the month. They are down by about 26 percent when compared to last December.