Washington’s economy added an estimated 5,300 jobs (seasonally adjusted) and the monthly unemployment rate rose from 4.7% in February to 4.8% in March. Last month’s unemployment rate is the highest recorded rate since 2021, surpassing the previous high mark set in February. It also marked the sixth consecutive month of increasing unemployment rates in Washington. […]
Legislature, governor sign off on Employment Security Department bills
Thanks to a new state law in Washington, some people may no longer owe interest on their unemployment insurance debt. The law removes interest on unemployment insurance overpayments from the COVID-19 pandemic era. The Employment Security Department will not charge interest on these benefit overpayments until Jan. 1, 2025. The overpayments bill was one of […]
Payroll employment increased in February; unemployment rose to 4.7%
Washington’s economy added an estimated 2,600 jobs (seasonally adjusted) and the monthly unemployment rate rose from 4.6% in January to 4.7% in February. Last month’s unemployment rate is the highest recorded rate since 2021. It also marked the fifth consecutive month of increasing unemployment rates in Washington. Job growth remains positive, but the overall trend […]
Payroll employment decreased in January; unemployment rate rose to 4.6%
Washington’s economy lost an estimated 3,600 jobs (seasonally adjusted) and the monthly unemployment rate rose from 4.2% in December to 4.6% in January. The state’s labor force remained relatively unchanged year over year as several major industry sectors added or shed jobs. The first month of 2024 also showed that job growth is slowing, reinforced […]
Payroll employment increased in December; unemployment rate rose to 4.2%
Washington’s economy gained an estimated 7,700 jobs (seasonally adjusted) and the monthly unemployment rate rose from 4.0% to 4.2% in December. “December’s job growth was the strongest since June 2023 and marked five consecutive months of job growth, after revisions to November data. Despite strong job gains, the unemployment rate inched up from 4.0% to 4.2%,” […]
Payroll employment dipped in November; unemployment rate increases to 4.0%
Washington’s economy lost an estimated 2,600 jobs (seasonally adjusted) and the monthly unemployment rate rose from 3.8% to 4% in November. “October’s job gains were largely reversed in November. Payroll employment dropped and the unemployment rate reached 4.0% after five consecutive months below 4%,” said Employment Security Department (ESD) Chief Labor Economist Anneliese Vance-Sherman. “The demand […]
Payroll employment grows in October; unemployment rate increases to 3.8%
Washington’s economy gained an estimated 7,900 jobs (seasonally adjusted) and the monthly unemployment rate rose from 3.6% to 3.8% in October. “Jobs grew at a faster pace than what was observed over the previous three months,” said Employment Security Department (ESD) Chief Labor Economist Anneliese Vance-Sherman. “The demand for workers remains elevated, and the trend toward […]
Payroll employment grows in September; unemployment rate holds steady
gton’s economy gained an estimated 7,900 jobs (seasonally adjusted) and the monthly unemployment rate remained constant at 3.6% in September. “Jobs grew at a faster pace than the prior month,” said Employment Security Department (ESD) State Economist Paul Turek. “The demand for workers has been resilient, although the trend toward more modest job growth remains […]
Payroll employment increases in August, unemployment rate remains constant
Washington’s economy gained an estimated 2,900 jobs (seasonally adjusted) and the monthly unemployment rate remained at 3.6% in August. “Job growth resumed in August after declining in July,” said Employment Security Department (ESD) State Economist Paul Turek. “The modest increase continues the pattern of job growth moving at a far cooler pace than the substantial […]