Oklahoma jobless rate holds steady, remains well below national rate

However, job growth in the state shrank slightly for the month.

Seasonally adjusted unemployment for the state fell slightly in January, shedding 760 unemployed Oklahomans, a 0.8 percent decrease for the month, according to data released Monday by the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission.

For the year, seasonally adjusted unemployment fell by 5,290 or 5.4 percent.

“The fact that unemployment held relatively steady could show that a lot of discouraged workers who were not out there applying for work are back in the job market,” said John Carpenter, state Employment Security Commission spokesman.

Seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment in Oklahoma shrank by 3,700 jobs in January, a 0.2 percent decrease.

That marks the first decline in nonfarm employment in the state since August 2011, said Lynn Gray, chief economist for the Employment Security Commission.