DENVER - Despite an overall decrease in the number of jobs, the unemployment rate in Colorado fell slightly last month.

The unemployment rate decrease of 0.1 percent from November to December is due to a larger increase in the number of people reporting their status as "employed" than in the number actively working, according to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. The state's unemployment rate of 7.6 percent is just below the national average of 7.8 percent.

In December 2011, Colorado's unemployment rate was 7.9 percent. The national unemployment rate at that time was 8.5 percent.

The Department of Labor reported the number of private sector payroll jobs decreased from November to December by 2,500, while the number of government jobs increased by 100. The total number of jobs counted was 2,316,600.

The largest private sector growth was in construction, while the largest declines were in professional and business services, trade, transportation and utilities, and education and health services.