Washington unemployment rate drops to 4.3 percent

OLYMPIA – State officials say Washington’s jobless rate dropped to 4.3 percent last month.

According to numbers released Wednesday by the Employment Security Department, the unemployment rate dipped slightly from September’s 4.4 percent and the state also added 12,400 jobs in October.

The largest job gains last month were seen in construction, leisure and hospitality, and information. The only industry that saw job losses was the retail trade sector.

Job gains and losses are estimates based on a survey by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate counts the percentage of people who are unemployed and actively looking for work, and doesn’t include those who have stopped looking for work.

The national unemployment rate for October was 3.7 percent, and the rate in the Seattle-Bellevue-Everett region was 3.3 percent.