The region's jobless rate rose a notch to 5.1 percent in May, the state Department of Labor and Industry said in a report that sent mixed signals about the region's employment situation. Based on the smaller survey of households that's used to determine the jobless rate in the seven-county area, the number of employed residents slipped last month by 6,900, outpacing a smaller decline in the labor force, described as those working or seeking work.

But in a separate count of nonfarm payrolls, considered by many economists to be a better gauge of local employment conditions because it represents a broader sampling that is later checked against payroll tax records, businesses in the seven counties of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland have picked up the pace of hiring. Nonfarm jobs rose an average 9,300 through the first five months of the year, up 0.8 percent from a year ago and nearly double the pace of growth through April.

In another positive sign, the average manufacturing work-week rose eight-tenths of an hour in May from April to 39.9 hours, though it's still down from an average 41.2 hours a week a year ago. Average weekly earnings also rose from April but were below year-ago levels.