Hawaii’s unemployment rate climbed to 6.6 percent in December, its highest level in 16 months, the state reported today.

December’s rate was up from 6.5 percent in November and equaled the previous high of 6.6 percent in August 2010.

For all of 2011 the jobless rate averaged 6.3 percent, down from 6.6 percent in 2010, according to the report from the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

The DLIR also reported that the number of nonfarm payroll jobs fell by 1,100 in December from November. For all of 2011 the number of nonfarm payroll jobs grew by 7,100, the first annual increase since 2007.