OLYMPIA, Wash. - Washington state's unemployment rate dropped to 7.8% last month, the first time since January 2009 that the rate has been below 8%.
The state's Employment Security Department said Wednesday that the drop from October's 8.2% rate was the largest one-month decline in over three decades.
The state saw a gain of 1,600 jobs in November, and industries that saw the most job gains included construction, retail trade, transportation, and leisure and hospitality. Job losses were seen in government, with state agencies losing around 900 jobs and public higher education seeing a loss of 1,000 jobs.
Around 270,000 people in the state were unemployed and looking for work last month, including nearly 136,000 who claimed unemployment benefits in November.
