Unemployment in metro Atlanta has risen from November to December, the Georgia Department of Labor reports.

The rate was a flat 8 percent in November, but has jumped to 8.4 percent in December.

In the city of Stockbridge, which has a high enough population for the department to report its employment statistics, the rate jumped from 10.1 percent in November to 10.9 percent in December.

The labor force increased from 13,271 to 13,349 in December, which is higher than November 2011, when the labor force was 13,111.

Employment dropped from 11,926 in November to 11,900 in December. The employment number is higher than the numbers from one year ago, during which they were 11,638.

However, the number of employed increased from 1,345 to 1,449 in December, creeping closer to the December 2011 number of 1,473.

The unemployment rate in December 2011 was 11.2 percent.

In Peachtree City, the labor force is 17,112, the number of employed is 15,986 and the number of unemployed is 1,126. The unemployment percentage is 6.6, which is up from 6.2 percent in November, but still lower than the December 2011 rate of 6.9 percent.

Douglasville, which has a comparable work force to Stockbridge, has an unemployment rate of 10.3 percent, a large jump from November’s 9.2 percent. The city’s work force is 15,492, of which 13,892 are employed and 1,600 are unemployed.

The city of Marietta has a labor force of 31,918, of which 29,232 are employed and 2,686 are unemployed for a rate of 8.4 percent, an increase from November’s 8.1 percent.

According to a Georgia Department of Labor press release, the increase from November to December is attributed to an increase in initial claims for unemployment insurance and an increase in the labor force.

One hundred and fifteen new claims for unemployment benefits were made in the industries of construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, transportation and warehousing and accommodations and food services.

Although initial claims rose from November to December, but they were down 18.3 from December 2011.

Labor force in metro Atlanta increased by 6,174, from 2.74 million to 2.755 million in December.