Washington state adds 22,700 jobs in July, unemployment down to 5.1%

The state Employment Security Department is reporting that Washington added 22,700 jobs in July, which brings the state unemployment figure to 5.1%, slightly down from 5.2% in June.

EXPLAINER: 5 key takeaways from the July jobs report

“The state’s job market recovery has gathered considerable momentum this summer,” said Paul Turek, economist for the department. “But while additional progress over the next month is a reasonable expectation, the rise of the Delta variant could mute some of the rebound.”

That puts Washington state unemployment just below the national unemployment average, which sits at 5.4% for July. For context, national unemployment was 10.2% in July 2020.

The total number of unemployed Washingtonians decreased from 201,600 to 199,200 between June and July. ESD paid unemployment insurance benefits to 316,343 people in July, down 43,623 from June.

The leisure and hospitality industries contributed the most out of any single industry, adding 11,800 jobs.

The following industries also saw gains:

• Education and health services (3,700)
• Wholesale trade (2,200)
• Construction (1,900)
• Professional and business services(1,700)
• Government (1,400)
• Financial activities(900)
• Other services (200)
• Information (100)

Retail neither lost nor added jobs. Transportation, manufacturing, mining and logging were down a collective 1,200.

Over the past year, the following three industries added the most jobs to Washington’s economy:

• Leisure and hospitality (59,400)
• Professional and business services (32,600)
• Education and health services (7,100)

August’s job figures are scheduled to be released Sept. 15.

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