Washington’s unemployment rate fell to 5.3 percent last month, according to preliminary, seasonally-adjusted figures from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. A year ago, the state’s unemployment rate was 6.1 percent.
The June Monthly Employment Report from the state Employment Security Department (ESD) estimates that the state gained 3,900 new jobs from May 2015 to June 2015 with 2,600 new private sector jobs and 1,300 in the public sector.
According to the report, the three sectors with the largest gains were:
- Professional and businesses services
- Transportation, warehousing and utilities
- Retail trade
Alternatively, wholesale trade, financial activities and construction experienced job loss.
“Washington’s labor market experienced modest employment growth and a slight reduction in its unemployment rate for June, and is continuing to make progress,” said state labor economist Paul Turek in a press release.
The report also stated that Washington’s resident labor force dropped from 3.551 million people in May 2015 to 3.544 million in June 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 from 191,000 in May 2015 to 187,300 in June 2015.
Looking at the past 12 months, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the state gained 114,700 jobs from June 2014 to June 2015, on a not seasonally adjusted basis, with 100,900 new jobs in the private sector and 13,800 new jobs in the public sector.
