KFOR:
The state’s unemployment rate declined to 2.3 percent in December, the third lowest in the nation, according to the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC).
The state’s unemployment rate has been on the decline in recent months, with a 2.7 percent rate in October and a 2.5 percent rate in November.
“This is great news for Oklahoma and marks the third consecutive month that we have hit a historic low unemployment rate in our state,” said Shelley Zumwalt, OESC Executive Director. “We also reached a historic high in terms of the number of people working in our state, with more than 1.8 million people in the workforce, an increase of more than 5,000 from November to December. Thanks to the focused efforts of our administration, state leaders and OESC, Oklahoma is one of the states leading the nation in its recovery from the economic impact of the pandemic.”
The state’s labor force rose to 60.4 percent in December, closing in on the 60.6 percent rate prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to OESC.