Numbers sometimes tell strange stories, and that appears to be the case in the latest unemployment report from the Washington State Employment Securities Department.

The analysis found that the unemployment rate actually dropped to 8.1 percent in Washington state during April, down from 8.3 percent in March. However, the good news came with a dose of bad news, since the state actually lost an estimated 300 jobs during the month.

“It’s always confounding when the surveys produce contradictory results,” said Dave Wallace, senior economist at Washington’s Employment Security Department.  “Based on experience over the past several months, the job numbers are likely to be revised.”

He added: “From month to month, the numbers bounce around a little. But when we look at data over several months and years, we get a better picture of the economy – and it’s continuing to improve.”

The unemployment rate in the state is actually at its lowest point since January 2009 when it registered at 7.7 percent. The report showed that the information sector, where a number of tech jobs get categorized, saw a modest gain of 100 new jobs for the month of April.

The technology industry continues to perform well, and many are struggling to fill positions. Companies such as F5 Networks, EMC/Isilon, Tableau Software, Facebook and others continue to add staffers. In fact, just this week Amazon.com said it has more than 1,000 open positions in the Seattle area.

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