The unemployment rate in Washington held steady at 5.3 percent in August and the state saw modest job growth, according to the state’s Employment Security Department.
Washington’s unemployment rate has remained at 5.3 percent since June 2015. The state’s unemployment rate was 6.2 percent in August 2014. The U.S. unemployment rate dropped slightly from July to August from 5.3 percent to 5.1 percent.
Unemployment in the Seattle/Bellevue/Everett area fell from 3.7 percent in July 2015 to a preliminary 3.6 percent in August 2015.
The monthly unemployment rate for this August was on a preliminary, seasonally adjusted basis, according to estimates by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The August Monthly Employment Report from the state Employment Security Department estimates Washington gained 1,600 new nonfarm jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis from July 2015 to August 2015 with a gain of 900 new private sector jobs and 700 new jobs in the public sector.
“Washington continues to enjoy modest job growth with fewer individuals among the unemployed,” Paul Turek, labor economist with ESD, said in a statement. “At the same time, we saw a reduction in the number of people in the labor force, which resulted in the unemployment rate holding steady at 5.3 percent. The Seattle area labor market continues to grow, resulting in a 3.6 percent unemployment rate in that area this month.”
Washington’s resident labor force dropped from 3.537 million people in July 2015 to 3.531 million in August 2015. The labor force is the total number of people, both employed and unemployed, over the age of 16.
The number of unemployed, or those who currently do not have a job but have actively looked for work in the last four weeks, dropped slightly from 188,600 in July 2015 to 186,000 in August, according to state officials. ESD paid unemployment benefits to 56,251 people.
From August 2014 to August 2015, all 13 major industries saw growth, according to the state. The top five industry sectors with the largest employment gains from August 2014 to August 2015, not seasonally adjusted, were:
- Professional and business services with 22,100 new jobs;
- Retail trade with 17,800 new jobs;
- Construction with 12,800 new jobs;
- Leisure and hospitality with 11,800 new jobs; and
- Government with 7,400 new jobs.
What does this mean for seasonal workers?
Seasonal job recruiters are posting openings earlier than ever and are working harder to fill open positions.
Job counselors at WorkSource, a state job agency, say seasonal recruiters can't afford to wait, citing low unemployment, online shopping and an expanded holiday shopping season.
"Unemployment is down, so the number of job seekers is down," said Marvin Stern with WorkSource.
"The day after Thanksgiving is no longer the beginning of the buying season. Some places are open on Thanksgiving Day or earlier just to get that edge."
This, Stern says, has tipped the job market toward the job seekers.
Information from the Employment Security Department is included in this report.
KIRO
