Jobless rate dips slightly in North Carolina to 5.6 percent

The federal government reported Tuesday that North Carolina's jobless rate dipped to 5.6 percent in December after two straight months at 5.7 percent. North Carolina's unemployment measure has gone up since December 2014, when it was 5.4 percent.

The national unemployment rate was 5 percent last month.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports North Carolina has added almost 87,000 jobs in the year ending in December, but a growing population means the state also has almost 20,000 more unemployed people.

The number of people employed statewide increased 17,547 in December, to 4,522,298, and increased 147,029 over the year, according to the Department of Commerce. The number of people unemployed decreased 799 over the month, to 269,833, and increased 19,806 over the year.

The leisure and hospitality sector posted the largest job gains during the month, followed by constructin and transportation and utilities. The education and health care, manufacturing and financial services sectors saw the largest job losses in December.