The latest figures on unemployment for the Rochester area show a jobless rate of 6.1 percent in December, down slightly from November and down nearly two percent from a year ago.
State Labor Analyst Tammy Marino says that was the lowest unemployment rate for December since 2007.
"By historical standards the local unemployment rate remains only somewhat above average. We started out the year with an unemployment rate that exceeded nine percent so to pull back to 6.1 percent is a rather substantial decline."
Marino says part of the reason for the decline in the unemployment rate is demographic. As the population ages, more people locally are dropping out of the labor force.
But she also says local employers have been consistently creating jobs at a slow, but steady pace. Last week the labor department said the Rochester area created an additional 3800 private sector jobs in December compared to a year ago.
