New York's unemployment rate did not budge in December from 4.3%, though the private sector increased its number of new jobs at a slightly faster rate than the rest of the country, the state Department of Labor on Thursday reported. 

The state added 22,100 jobs in December, a 0.3% increase from November. Nationally, jobs in the private sector increased by 0.2%. 

In the last year, New York's private sector has added 271,800, a 3.4% increase since the end of 2021. That exceeded the national rate of 3.2%. 

Job losses and gains are a potential indicator of the overall health of the economy as concerns grow over a possible recession in the new year. 

New York has struggled to fully regain the jobs lost in the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, when more than 2 million positions were eliminated amid stay-at-home orders. The state is not expected to full regain the jobs lost for several more years. 

Labor force participation remained steady at 60.5%.