Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that the Coastal Georgia region kept its annual number of employed residents positive in December.

The Coastal region also saw its unemployment rate increase, preliminary numbers show.

“Georgia finished the year strong by continuing to add jobs in all major sectors,” Butler said. “Moving forward, we need to attract more people to the workforce, so we can fill these great jobs.”

In Coastal Georgia, the unemployment rate increased 0.2 percentage points in December, settling at 2.9 percent. A year ago, the rate was 3.6 percent.

The labor force in Coastal Georgia decreased by 1,064 in December, bringing the total to 329,422. The number has decreased by 2,394 when compared to the same month a year ago.

Coastal Georgia lost 1,667 employed residents in December, bringing the total to 319,921. The number is up 38 for the year.

Claims for unemployment insurance were up by 57 percent in December. They were down by about 25 percent when compared to the same month a year ago.

The Coastal region includes Bryan, Bulloch, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long, McIntosh, and Screven counties.