Georgia’s labor market is treading water, according to new data released Thursday by the state Department of Labor. Georgia added 1,200 net jobs in January, basically flat from December, according to the report, the first glimpse at how the state labor market is performing this year.

• The state’s unemployment rate held steady at 3.5% in January, unchanged from December, and remains below the national rate.
• “I think the numbers are a little disappointing,” said Mark Vitner, chief economist of Piedmont Crescent Capital, a longtime analyst of the regional economy. "Job growth has just softened all across the country.”
• A major drag was the loss of 12,500 federal government jobs in Georgia over the year as President Donald Trump slashed workers at agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,