Even though Wyoming's jobless rate dropped to 4.9 % in December from 5.1% the month before, a Senior Economist with the Research and Planning Section of the state Department of Workforce Services says that news isn't as good as it sounds.

David Bullard says one factor in the drop was that some people have simply given up looking for work. Bullard says that while a shrinking labor force is not all that unusual in Wyoming, it certainly can't be considered a sign of a growing economy. The report shows Teton County had the highest jobless rate in December at 7.3%, while Sublette County had the lowest rate at 3.6%.

Even though the December report is considered mixed news, the state's jobless rate is still well below the national unemployment rate of 7.8% for December. The 2012 Wyoming jobless rate was also below the  December 2011 rate of 5.6 % for the cowboy state.

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