Washington state’s unemployment rate remained at 5.8 percent last month, for the seventh month in a row, according to the Employment Security Department (ESD).
The state’s stagnant rate is partially due to a net loss of 500 jobs in the month of June, as private sector employment increased by roughly 1,000 jobs but government employment dropped by 1,500.
However, on a year-over-year basis the outlook is still positive, the department said.
“Although hiring flattened in June, the state’s economy has produce jobs on a year-over-year basis and labor force participation is more stable than it was in 2015,” said Paul Turek, the state’s labor economist.
Sector growth & loss
This month’s report shows the greatest job growth in professional & business services with 1,800 new jobs from May to June. The construction sector followed closely behind with 1,700 new jobs, and financial services increased by 1,300. Leisure and hospitality faced the biggest reduction, losing 2,800 jobs.
Year-over-year, growth remains strong with continued gains in both the public and private sector. The state added 96,900 new jobs from June 2015 to June 2016, not seasonally adjusted. The private sector grew by 3.2 percent or 84,000 jobs, and the public sector increased by 2.3 percent, adding 12,900 jobs.
11 major industries saw growth over the past year. The three industry sectors topping that list are:
- Professional & business services (+17,400 jobs)
- Construction (+15,300 jobs)
- Government (+12,900 jobs)
Meanwhile, the number of jobs in the mining and logging industries had no gains or losses from June 2015 to June 2016, and manufacturing lost 4,800 jobs.
