Total employment in the Spokane area fell in December, compared with the previous month, and the jobless rate rose, according to preliminary figures released today by the state Employment Security Department. 

Employers in the Spokane-Spokane Valley Metropolitan Statistical Area reported just over 280,000 jobs in December, down about 2,700 from the total employment figure for November. 

The preliminary figures show the jobless rate in the MSA rose by more than a percentage point to 5.2% in December from 4.1% in November. 

While employment contracted in December compared with the previous month, the jobs market made gains in compared with a year earlier, with 3,400 more jobs than in December 2022 and the jobless rate well below the 5.8% figure reported a year earlier.