Kentucky Press News Service

Kentucky’s seasonally adjusted preliminary unemployment rate dropped to 8.1 percent in December from a revised 8.2 percent in November, according to the Office of Employment and Training.

The preliminary December 2012 jobless rate was .9 percentage points below the 9 percent rate recorded for the state in December 2011.

The U.S. seasonally adjusted jobless rate remained at 7.8 percent from November 2012 to December 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Labor force statistics, including the unemployment rate, are based on estimates from the Current Population Survey of households. It is designed to measure trends rather than to count the actual number of people working. It includes jobs in agriculture and those classified as self-employed, according to state news release.