Washington’s unemployment rate dips slightly in November
Posted on 17. Dec, 2009 by nevonnemcdaniels in News
Washington’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate inched down to 9.2 percent in November, a slight improvement from the 9.3 percent rate in October, according to the state Employment Security Department.
“This is positive news,” said Employment Security Department Commissioner Karen Lee. “Hopefully, this is another sign that we’re turning the corner and on our way out of this recession.”
The state lost an estimated 4,800 non-agricultural jobs in November, seasonally adjusted. Estimated job losses for October had earlier been reported as 5,100, but that number was revised downward to 4,800 after more analysis.
Year over year, Washington had 125,600 fewer jobs last month than in November 2008, a 4.3 percent decrease. Nationally, employment declined by 3.5 percent over the past year.
Construction was the industry with the steepest decline in November, down about 4,300 jobs. Other industries that showed job losses in November were leisure and hospitality, down 2,000; retail trade, down 900; information, down 800; wholesale trade, down 600; and government, down 500.
November marked the first month in 2009 that the manufacturing industry added jobs, up 1,100. Other industries that saw gains in November were professional & business services, up 2,800; and education and health services, up 900.
An estimated 321,283 people (not seasonally adjusted) in Washington were unemployed and looking for work in November. Nearly 264,226 people received unemployment benefits from Washington state last month.
Unemployed workers can inquire about assessment and training opportunities that are available through their local WorkSource career centers.
Employment Security is a partner in the statewide WorkSource system, which offers a variety of employment and training services, including free help with interviewing skills or résumés and with job referrals.
Locations of local WorkSource offices are listed online at www.go2worksource.com. Assistance also is available by phone at 877-872-5627.
In addition, more than 13,427 job openings are posted on www.go2worksource.com.
- Civil
- Smart
- On-topic
- Free of profanity
We ask that all participants own their words by registering for an account. It's a simple process that will take seconds and helps keep our comments free of trolls, cranks, and drive-by commenters.
As a community site, we ask that the community help by using the "Flag" button on each comment if they feel the comment has violated the rules. You can also use the up and down arrows on each comment to voice your opinion about that particular comment.
Want to tell us something but you don't want it to be public? Talk to us privately.
