Officials are reporting the 10th straight monthly decline in Pennsylvania's unemployment rate.
The state Department of Labor and Industry reported Friday that the statewide jobless rate for May was 5.6 percent -- the lowest since September 2008. That's down from 5.7 percent in April and below the national rate of 6.3 percent.
The state's labor force _ the number of people working or looking for jobs -- shrank by 12,000 in May to 6.43 million. The ranks of employed Pennsylvanians declined by 6,000, the first drop after eight straight months of gains, and the number of unemployed shrank by 5,000.
A separate survey of employers shows total nonfarm jobs growing by nearly 25,000. Payrolls stand at 5.79 million.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
