Washington gained 11,700 jobs in May

OLYMPIA — Washington state saw job growth last month, but the unemployment rate still rose slightly. The unemployment rate for May increased to 8.3 percent from April’s revised rate of 8.2 percent, even as there was a net growth of 11,700 jobs in May. Officials with the state Employment Security Department said today that that increase was mostly due to more unemployed people re-entering the job market. Sectors that saw the most job growth in May included: professional and business services; transportation, warehousing and utilities; wholesale trade; manufacturing; and construction. Government employment lost an estimated 2,600 jobs in May, leisure and hospitality lost 200 jobs, and the information sector lost an estimated 100 jobs.