Hawaii jobless rate drops to 5.5 percent

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii's unemployment rate is hitting a new four-year-low.

The state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations said Thursday Hawaii's jobless rate dropped 0.2 percentage point in October to a seasonally adjusted 5.5 percent.

The state's jobless rate was at 5.7 percent in September — its lowest mark since 2008.

Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 7.9 percent from 7.8 percent in September.