Kentucky jobless rate drops to 8.1 percent

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) -- The Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet said Thursday that the state's jobless rate has dropped to 8.1 percent.

The agency said the rate for December 2012 was down from 8.2 percent in November and well below the 9 percent recorded in December 2011.

According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in the leisure and hospitality field grew by 1,100, jobs in the educational and health services rose by 500 and jobs in the informational and financial sectors grew by a total of 600.

Employment fields that posted job losses included mining and logging, manufacturing and government.