Washington unemployment rate drops to 7.8%

OLYMPIA — Washington’s jobless rate dipped to 7.8% last month, and the state’s economy added 2,400 jobs.

According to numbers released Wednesday by the Employment Security Department, September’s rate was down from August’s revised rate of 8.4%.

The largest private job growth occurred in leisure and hospitality, construction, and professional and business services. The biggest losses were seen in government, manufacturing and wholesale trade.

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. The national unemployment rate for September was 7.9%, and the rate in the Seattle-Bellevue-Everett region was 7%.