Jobless rate flat as job count grows

A sliver of fiscal good news today with a report of the first increase in new jobs in Washington in more than a year.

The unemployment rate, however, didn't dip. It's at 9.3 percent.

Here's the information from the state Employment Security Department.

“This is great news for Washington state, and yet another sign that our economy is on the rebound," Gov. Chris Gregoire said in a statement.

The Washington Policy Center offered a more tempered response:

"The latest numbers show that the trend of over 170,000 jobs lost since early 2007 has slowed but not stopped. But, as we pointed out last week, the unemployment rate is a lagging economic indicator -- meaning that even after the economy begins to pick up speed the rate could actually get worse as more people attempt to re-enter the labor force," according to a statement issued today.