Washington State Employment Security Department announcement.
Washington’s economy gained an estimated 2,500 jobs (seasonally adjusted) in June. Job growth was concentrated in the following industries: information, manufacturing, and construction.
Also in June, the preliminary seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment rate remained constant at 3.9%.
“Labor market conditions remain strong for now, but hiring is showing signs of slowing,” said the Employment Security Department’s (ESD) State Economist Paul Turek. “Efforts underway to curb high inflation — such as raising interest rates — will likely continue to dampen job growth and hiring as the year progresses.”
In May, the preliminary seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment rate dropped slightly to 3.9%.
Visit ESD’s website to view the entire Monthly Employment Report for June.
ESD paid unemployment insurance benefits to 36,427 people in June, a decrease of 1,708 over the previous month. Decreases in paid claims within the construction, manufacturing and agriculture sectors contributed to the overall decrease in paid claims over the month.
National unemployment rate
The national unemployment remained constant in June at the preliminary rate of 3.6%. For comparison, the national unemployment rate (revised) for June 2021 was 5.9%.
Labor supply increases more slowly
The state’s labor force in June was 4,039,600 – an increase of 3,600 people from the previous month. Labor force is defined as the total number of people, both employed and unemployed, over the age of 16. In the Seattle/Bellevue/Everett region, the labor force increased by 6,300 over the same period. From June 2021 to June 2022, the state’s labor force increased by 133,500, while the Seattle/Bellevue/Everett region increased by 71,400.
From May to June, the number of people who were unemployed statewide decreased from 158,600 to 156,000. In the Seattle/Bellevue/Everett region, the number of people who were unemployed decreased from 48,300 to 46,600 over the same period.
Of the industry sectors, in June:
- Five expanded
- Six contracted
- Two were unchanged
Private sector employment increased by 3,700 jobs while government employment decreased by 1,200 jobs. Table 2 shows a summary of the job gains and losses in all 13 industry sectors.
Annual payrolls expand for nearly every industry
Washington gained an estimated 175,400 jobs from June 2021 – June 2022, not seasonally adjusted. Private sector employment rose by 6.2%, up an estimated 173,600 jobs, while public sector employment rose by 0.3%, up an estimated 1,800 jobs.
From June 2021 – June 2022, 12 major industry sectors expanded and one contracted
The three industry sectors with the largest employment gains year over year, not seasonally adjusted, were:
- Leisure and hospitality, up 47,800 jobs.
- Professional and business services, up 35,500 jobs.
- Education and health services, up 20,300 jobs.
Mining and logging is the one industry sector that contracted, losing 300 jobs from June 2021 – June 2022.
If the ESD’s statistics are accurately showing “job growth”, why are fast food chains and other restaurants continuing to be closed and serving drive through customers only? Why do stores like Home Depot, Lowes, and Walmart have so much fewer employees and less check lines open? When I drive through communities, why do I still see so many “Help Wanted” signs.