The nation's seasonally adjusted jobless rate fell 0.2 percentage point to 4.6 percent in May, the second consecutive month of decline, the Management and Coordination Agency said in a preliminary report released Friday.

Employment improved in May as the number of people out of work fell for the first time in 37 months. There were 3.28 million people unemployed for the month, down 60,000 from a year earlier.

The number of jobless men was down 110,000 from the year before to 1.96 million, marking the first decline in 35 months, while the number of unemployed women grew by 60,000 to 1.33 million.