Washington state jobless rate holds steady at 5.8 percent

OLYMPIA – Washington added more than 11,000 new jobs from March to April, but the state’s unemployment rate continues to hover at 5.8 percent.

Numbers released Wednesday by the state Employment Security Department show that during the one-year period ending in April, more than 100,000 jobs were added. The state’s 5.8 percent jobless rate has been unchanged since December.

The national unemployment rate for April was 5 percent. Unemployment in the Seattle-Bellevue-Everett area dropped from 4.9 percent in March to 4.8 percent last month.

Eight industries expanded for the month, with the biggest gains seen in professional and business services, leisure and hospitality and government. The only losses were seen in construction and financial activities.