Associated Press
OLYMPIA — Washington state’s unemployment rate dipped slightly to 5.7 percent last month.
The latest numbers released Wednesday by the state’s Employment Security Department show that the August rate broke an eight-month holding pattern of a 5.8 percent rate.
The national unemployment rate remained at 4.9 percent last month, while the rate in the Seattle-Bellevue-Everett area dropped to 4.1 percent from July’s 4.4 percent rate.
The state’s labor force grew to 3.63 million in August, an increase of 7,400 people from the previous month, and the state added 2,600 jobs. The largest job growth last month was seen in education and health services, while manufacturing and the leisure and hospitality industries saw the biggest losses.
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