jobseekers.jpg
Washington state saw job growth last month, but the unemployment rate still rose slightly. (AP Photo/file)

April unemployment rate drops in Washington

May 15, 2013 @ 12:04 pm

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Washington state's unemployment rate dropped to 7 percent in April, and the state added an estimated 3,800 jobs last month, according to numbers released Wednesday.

The state has now regained about 78 percent of the more than 200,000 jobs lost during the recession, officials with the state Employment Security Department said.

The state's unemployment rate has fallen by half a percentage point since the start of the year, with April's rate down from March's 7.3 percent. The state's jobless rate is now the lowest since December 2008, when it was at 7.1 percent.

The state "labor market is continuing to improve at a moderate but accelerating rate, somewhat faster than the nation," Scott Bailey, a labor economist for Employment Security, said in a written statement.

The national unemployment rate for April was 7.5 percent.

Since April 2012, when Washington state's unemployment rate was 8.4 percent, the state has gained a total of 67,200 jobs.

The latest figures show that economists significantly revised job loss numbers for March from an initial estimate of 5,500 down to 1,600 jobs.

Industries that saw the greatest job gains in April included retail trade, up 3,800 jobs; leisure and hospitality, up 1,600 jobs; and professional and business services, which gained 1,500 jobs.

Job losses were seen in education and health services, which lost 2,500 jobs; construction, down 1,100; and transportation, warehousing and utilities, which lost 500 jobs. Wholesale trade saw a decrease of 300 jobs.

Two different surveys are used to calculate unemployment figures and job losses. The unemployment rate represents the percentage of the labor force that's unemployed and actively looking for work. People who quit looking for work are not counted.

The job gains and losses estimates are based on a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey of businesses.

A drop in the unemployment rate sometimes indicates a drop in the labor force because of so-called discouraged workers who have stopped actively looking for work or just retired early. But in a conference call with reporters Wednesday, Bailey said that was not the case for April.

"This is a pure positive trend that we're looking at right now," he said.

While job growth may continue in the coming months, there may not be a corresponding improvement with the unemployment rate because previously discouraged workers will start looking for work again, Bailey said.

More than 243,000 people were unemployed in the state and looking for work last month, including nearly 130,800 who claimed unemployment benefits. A total of 138,997 people have exhausted their benefits since extended relief was activated in July 2008.

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Full report: http://1.usa.gov/11F0XSz


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Comments (47)


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  • John S Paul wrote...
    "...the state added an estimated 5,800 jobs."
    May 18, 2011 10:31 am
    Great - 5,800 more people getting paid to do nothing except drain more of our tax dollars. Yeah, that's real "progress".
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Exhausted wrote...
    I don't believe it !!!
    May 18, 2011 11:08 am
    I know of 3 businesses that have closed their doors just in the last month in Washington State. Even though the media tells us the economy is improving, I do not see it!!!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • ottmilkr wrote...
    Exhausted
    September 14, 2011 5:24 am
    The machine has to release info like that, that way the mainstream will continue to believe in Capitalism.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • maplefish wrote...
    What?
    June 13, 2012 11:07 am
    Yes, that Wackey Capitalism is soooooo over-rated!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • CldWtrSrf wrote...
    Sorry ottmilkr....
    September 19, 2012 12:38 pm
    But America IS NOT a Capitalist Economy. Sadly we haven't been for decades. Instead, we are a text book FASCIST Economy. Mussolini would be proud that his legacy and governance style is alive and well in 21st century AmeriKa. But go ahead and blame Capitalism even though Fascism is what we have, keep being a TOOL, the politicians and CEOs love that you and most of America don't know how to read a book or add 2 + 2 together.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Sarah in 2012 wrote...
    @John S Paul, you might want to re-read the story
    May 18, 2011 11:22 am
    In total, the state of Washington added 5,800 jobs in April, according to a report from the Employment Security Department. That came despite a drop of 2,500 government jobs.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Rick (4) wrote...
    I also do not believe it
    June 15, 2011 9:43 am
    Many businesses are shutting down, and laying off all employees. Also, manufacturing orders are extremely low for the spring months and these businesses hired expecting a much busier season, and now they are looking at potential layoffs due to poor sales.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • DesertRez wrote...
    Well
    June 15, 2011 12:49 pm
    When you have an economy based on consumer spending, and inflation plus increased commodoties are pushing the price of everything up, it's a downward trend that will accelerate.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • hnuh wrote...
    Does hope and change
    June 15, 2011 3:29 pm
    mean driving the economy down to the point where Mama government is "forced" to take complete control?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    I believe it does...
    July 28, 2011 11:50 am
    ...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • hnuh wrote...
    See,
    June 15, 2011 4:02 pm
    you know you're in trouble when employment decreases in late spring. A great deal of productive work is done in spring and summer. Last summer was the "summer of recovery" but unfortunately those "shovel ready projects" weren't so shovel ready. (see 0bama quote on that subject) State governments received billions to maintain state worker employment... the stimulus. That is pretty well used up. Now what? More stimulus? The administration demonizes business, profit, work, and demands companies "create jobs". Stalin had people who failed to follow his dictates taken out and shot. Is this coming?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • heyjim55 wrote...
    Stalin had people shot
    September 19, 2012 11:04 am
    You are correct he did will Obama? no not in the short term and I doubt he has it in him to do it but! there are plenty that do. I think Trumka might have it in him Van Jones also could do it. We are far from that happening right now but if Obama gets another 4 years which I believe if he does will translate into Dear leader for life. Then sometime in his second term or after we all learn he's not ever leaving then they will start eliminating people. People don't realize that Obama is a Fabian Socialist and they have no problem thinning the herd, first the hard core capitalists then anyone after that is fair game. Communists never go off script they just have better marketing.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • monkeyal wrote...
    Time to end all unemployment benefits
    July 28, 2011 11:02 am
    and let all unemployed become instant self-employed day traders in all the various stock, bond, and financial markets. Or, let them hit the local rez for some happy time gaming.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • ottmilkr wrote...
    Monkey
    September 14, 2011 5:24 am
    A very intelligent statement
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • eldeecee wrote...
    I Am Told I Am Worthless Scum Because I Am Unemployed
    July 28, 2011 12:03 pm
    I had a successful career, saved, invested, and had a contract that contained a pension plan. I did everything right, but changes made by people of a certain extremist political persuasion allowed my employer to take away my pension and give the money to the corporate executives, they wiped out my investments, and cheated me out of portions of my remaining savings. Then they sent my job offshore and dumped me into the gutter. Now I have too much experience and am too old. No one will give me a job. When the last of my savings run out, I am dead. Thank you. (I am glad there is still a public library that allows me to use the Internet to help with my job search and to post this message. However, I expect the extremist will soon succeed in killing libraries.)
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • The Holy Hand Grenade wrote...
    LDC
    July 28, 2011 12:21 pm
    And those same corporate sharks are the ones that trickle down economics depend on to support the lower economy. But in reality, retirement funds and job positions are stock in trade for multinationals. They ruin thousands of lives just to look good at the board meeting..and get that fat bonus and parachute. And yes, the public library system is on the block. Way to go America.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • ottmilkr wrote...
    eldeecee
    September 14, 2011 5:27 am
    What you typed about your life happenned because you were participating in the economic system known as Capitalism. The powerful & smart win and dominate and the less powerful & smart perish. From their perspective, they were simply playing the game according to the rules they purchased and put in place.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • tlmbrt wrote...
    @ottmilkr
    May 16, 2012 11:52 am
    Capitalism made our standard of living one of the highest in the world. If you hate it so much, please feel free to LEAVE. Yes, the powerful and smart WIN and the LAZY and WEAK perish. DEAL WITH IT. Survival of the fittest, baby! Socialism DESTROYS wealth and BANKRUPTS the country. Look at Greece. Better yet, move there!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • tlmbrt wrote...
    @eldeecee
    May 16, 2012 11:48 am
    You are wildly EXAGGERATING. I bet you got all that rhetoric off of certain liberal "extremist" websites in that library, didn't you? And libraries WILL die because of the INTERNET ITSELF, and the rise of E-Books. By the way, didn't that liberal icon Al Gore invent the internet? (wink) Don't blame that "certain extremist political persuasion" for your problems!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Chuck Gould wrote...
    Any time the number of jobs grows more slowly than the number of people looking for work...
    August 17, 2011 4:31 pm
    employment and unemployment can increase simultaneously.

    The good old days are gone, for good. Welcome to the new normal. The next generation of consumers is not as interested in consuming housing and material good at the same rate as their parents and grandparents. They place orders for computers through online sites that are staffed by other computers. Stores are closing everywhere. Entire retail categories (video rental, anyone?) are being eliminated.

    Jobs aren't coming back any time soom because big business has figured out how to be wildly profitable with smaller markets- the key is simply having a much smaller workforce. If business was running efficiently with a 20 t0 25% unemployment rate, that's where the unemployment rate would be. Businesses don't hire or fire based on anything except the bottom line. Period.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }