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A drop in the number of working Houstonians edged the local jobless rate up to 8.3 percent in December, according to data released this morning by the Texas Workforce Commission.

The November rate was 8.2 percent.

At the same time, employers in Texas pared their payrolls, cutting 23,900 jobs during December, according to the commission. The statewide jobless rate jumped to 8.3 percent in December, up from 8 percent one month earlier.

The Texas jobless rate is adjusted for seasonal variations while Houston data is not.

“December job losses offset some of the gains from the last couple of months,” according to Ronny Congleton, the TWC Commissioner who represents labor.