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Oklahoma ends year with 5.1 percent jobless rate

Oklahoma's unemployment rate was well below the national average of 7.8 percent, and down 1.2 percentage points from a year ago.

By Brianna Bailey | Published: January 18, 2013 Comment on this article

“In the state of Oklahoma in 2012, not only did we grow our workforce, but we created enough jobs that our unemployment rate went down by 17.2 percent,” Myers said.

However, there is reason for concern that the contentious political climate in Washington, D.C., and economic uncertainty could slow job growth in the year ahead, she said.

“We saw a little bit of slowing in job growth in the past quarter,” Myers said. “There was a little bit of uncertainty for businesses because of the fiscal cliff, sequestration and the upcoming debt ceiling debates. For Oklahoma to continue to grow, we really need certainty in our markets.”

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