The unemployment rate across Southwest Florida remained steady in May, with Sarasota and Charlotte counties showing little to no change in their jobless numbers, according to figures released Friday by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

According to the DEO’s
report, the unemployment rate in Sarasota County dipped slightly from 8.6 percent in April to 8.5 percent in May, while Charlotte County stayed flat at 8.7 percent. That’s still positive news when compared with May 2011, when Sarasota and Charlotte both saw their unemployment rates at
10.4 percent.