Metro Atlanta’s jobless rate rose to 8.4 percent in December, up four-tenths of a percentage point from 8 percent in November.

It was 8.9 percent in December 2011.

DeKalb County’s unemployment rate was 8.9 percent in December. It was among 29 counties whose jobless rates ranged from 8 percent to 8.9 percent in December.

The Georgia Department of Labor said Jan. 24 that the metro rate rose because of a combination of factors – a slight increase in initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits and an increase in the labor force as more people began searching for work.

There were 115 more new claims for unemployment benefits in construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, transportation and warehousing, and accommodations and food services.

While the initial claims were up from November to December, they were down by 4,916, or 18.3 percent, from 26,828 in December 2011. The decline in claims led to an over-the-year drop in the area’s jobless rate.

The labor force, those employed or actively searching for a job, increased by 6,174, jumping from 2,749,348 to 2,755,522 in December. The new job seekers are counted as unemployed until they get work.

Metro Athens had the lowest jobless rate at 6.6 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha area had the highest, 11.4 percent.

Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 8.6 percent in December, up one-tenth of a percentage point from 8.5 percent in November. The rate was 9.4 percent in December a year ago.

Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. For more information, visit www.dol.state.ga.us.