The percentage of unemployed workers in Hawaii in May fell to 6.6 percent, its lowest level in more than a year, the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations reported today.

The state’s unemployment rate had been hovering between 6.7 and 7.0 percent for the past 13 months; however, it dropped .1 percentage point from April to May. The last time the state’s unemployment rate was at 6.6 percent was in March of 2009.

While 595,100 Hawaii residents were employed in May another 41,700 were looking for work. The creation of seasonally adjusted nonagricultural jobs rose by .3 percent to 1,700 last month with the most job gains in construction, other services, leisure and hospitality. Job losses were reported in the financial, business, trade, transportation, utilities, and government sectors.

In comparison, the U.S. unemployment rate dropped to 9.7 percent in May from 9.9 percent in April.