Local Unemployment Jumps .5% In December

ST. CLOUD -- The latest local unemployment figures indicate we're not out of the recession woods just yet.  The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development says the unemployment rate for the St. Cloud Metro Area rose by a half-percent in December to 6.8%.

500 more people were out of work last month, compared to November.

It's the third straight month of unemployment increases, and we're at our highest unemployment rate since April.

We're also close to having the same unemployment rate at the state, which is at 7%.