DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment says private sector jobs dropped by 2,500 from November to December, while the number of government employees increased by 100 during the month-long period.

The department said Friday the number of people employed held relatively steady at 2.3 million people.

The department says the state’s unemployment rate dropped one tenth of one percentage point over the month to 7.6 percent. Those figures are in line with national unemployment rates.

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