Washington unemployment rate hovers at 5.8 percent

OLYMPIA – Washington state lost 500 jobs from May to June, but its unemployment rate is hovering at 5.8 percent for the seventh straight month.

Numbers released Wednesday by the state Employment Security Department show that while private sector employment increased by roughly 1,000 jobs during that timeframe, government employment dropped by 1,500, for a net loss of 500 jobs.

Officials say that during the one-year period ending in June, the state added 96,900 jobs.

The national unemployment rate for June was 4.9 percent. Unemployment in the Seattle-Bellevue-Everett area dropped from 4.9 percent in May to 4.6 percent last month.

Job gains and losses are estimates based on a survey by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate counts the percentage of people who are unemployed and actively looking for work, and doesn’t include those who have stopped looking for work.