OLYMPIA — Washington set a new record low for unemployment when the statewide rate fell to 4.5 percent in May, the state Employment Security Department announced Wednesday.
The rate is the lowest since comparable record-keeping began in 1976. The Seattle/Bellevue/Everett area rate held steady at 3.3 percent, according to the agency.
The department released the seasonally adjusted, preliminary jobs estimates from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics as part of its May Monthly Employment Report.
In May 2016, the statewide unemployment rate was 5.6 percent.
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