The state's jobless rate fell to 7.7 per cent in trend terms, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said, down from 7.8 per cent in November.

The number of people employed full-time bucked the recent trend, jumping 500 in December in trend terms. However the total number of Tasmanians with a job fell 300 to 227,600  - meaning 800 people in part-time or casual work lost their jobs between November and December.

The fall in the jobless rate was due to another fall in the participation rate - down to 59.3 per cent in December.