The final jobs report of 2024 was a good one – as the labor department announced Jan. 23 that the state added 7,200 jobs in December.

The unemployment rate held steady at 4.6%.

Last month, six of the nine key private sectors registered employment gains, led by:

• Professional and business services +3,900
• Education and health services +2,600
• Leisure and hospitality +1,300

The biggest losses were seen in:

• Construction -2,100
• Manufacturing -500

The labor department also noted a downward revision in the November report of 2,200 jobs, which resulted in a monthly job decrease from October to November of 900.

Year over year

In the past year, the state has added 30,300 nonfarm jobs, including about 77% in the private sector.

However, just three of the nine sectors recorded gains between December 2023 and December 2024:

• Education and health services +44,000
• Trade transportation, trade, and utilities +3,000
• Other services +300

The year-over-year losses were found in:

• Professional and business services -8,600
• Information -6,500
• Leisure and hospitality –4,300
• Manufacturing -2,300
• Financial activities -1,400
• Construction -800

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