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Colorado Unemployment Rate Dips To 7.9 Percent

DENVER (AP) — Colorado's unemployment rate has fallen below 8 percent for the first time since the middle of 2010.

State labor department officials said Tuesday that the unemployment rate, adjusted for seasonal differences, was 7.9 percent for December, down from 8 percent in November and 8.9 percent in December 2010.

The national unemployment rate for December was 8.5 percent, down from 8.7 percent in November and 9.4 percent in December 2010.

State labor officials say about 2.5 million Coloradans had jobs in December, up from 2.4 million a year earlier. About 216,000 are unemployed, down from 238,000 a year earlier.

The professional and business services sector and leisure and hospitality sector each have added around 10,000 jobs in the last year, but the construction, information, financial activities and government sectors have shrunk.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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