Feb. 2--Lane County's jobless rate continued its climb in December, to 9.5 percent, according to the state Employment Department.

It was the county's highest December rate in 24 years -- since it hit 10 percent in 1984, the department said.

There were 17,711 people unemployed in Lane County in December. That's 2,162 more than in November and 7,918 more than December 2007, according to department figures.

The county lost 4,200 nonfarm payroll jobs last year -- half of them in manufacturing.

"With the loss of Hynix (Semiconductor Manufacturing) and the loss in wood products and some of the published losses in RV manufacturing, this has been a particularly hard year," state labor economist Brian Rooney said.

The losses in manufacturing, he said, have spread to other industries, including retail.

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