By Nina Mandell
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — The city's unemployment rate reached its lowest point in a year, dropping to 9.6 percent in May, the New York State Department of Labor reported Thursday.
The 0.2 percent drop continues a steady decline in recent months, but unemployment remains 3 percent higher than the same time last year.
The overall state unemployment rate also fell from 8.4 to 8.3 percent in May.
The city saw the most gains in educational and health services jobs and the biggest losses in construction and manufacturing jobs over the past year.
Mayor Bloomberg was optimistic in a statement, saying the growth showed positive signs including an increase in industry and jobs in the Big Apple.
“It’s good news that New York City’s unemployment rate fell again and for the fifth consecutive month,” he said. “But a more telling development is that our labor force has grown to its largest point since at least 1976, probably the largest point ever.”
