State jobless rate lowest since November 2008

Washington’s unemployment rate in May fell to 6.8 percent, the lowest since November 2008, according to the state Employment Security Department. The report said the number of unemployed workers in the state fell by 6,700 compared with April. At the same time, the number of employed people rose by an estimated 18,100. The U.S. jobless rate for May was 7.6 percent. County jobless numbers will be released next week. Industries with the largest declines in May included manufacturing, down 600; professional and business services, down 500; construction, down 500; wholesale trade, down 400; financial activities, down 300; and information, down 200. The ESD said in a news release that Washington has regained 162,100 of the 205,000 jobs it lost during the recession, about 79 percent.