The Dayton, Ohio area was one of the more particularly hard-hit regions during the last year of the recession, but the latest employment figures for the area shows the tide may finally be turning.

The unemployment rate in the Dayton metropolitan statistical area fell by almost an entire percentage point from April to May, making it the fourth month in a row the unemployment rate has dropped in the area.

Dayton registered a jobless rate of 10.9 percent for May, which is down from 11.8 percent in April. Even with things improving, the unemployment rate for the area remains slightly above what it was in May of 2009 when it came in at 10.8 percent.

The data is provided by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

An additional 2,700 were working in the Dayton metropolitan region in May. The area consists of Montgomery, Preble, Miami and Greene counties, all of which saw declines in unemployment in May.