Washington’s June unemployment rate drops to 8.9 percent, lowest level since April 2009

Wash. unemployment rate drops to 8.9 pct. in June

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The state’s unemployment rate fell for the third straight month, dropping to 8.9 percent in June.

State officials said Tuesday that the jobless rate dropped 0.3 percentage point from May’s revised rate of 9.2 percent.

June’s unemployment rate is the lowest the state has seen since April 2009, and it remains lower than the national rate, which was 9.5 percent for June.

The state added about 4,500 private-sector jobs last month but registered a net loss of 3,500 jobs because 8,000 government jobs were eliminated. About half of those jobs were temporary work for the U.S. Census.

In addition to government, other industries that lost jobs in June were: financial activities, down 500; wholesale trade, which lost 300; and transportation, warehousing and utilities, which shed 100.

Eight industries added jobs in June, including: education and health services, which added 1,300; construction, up 1,000; retail trade added 900; professional and business services was up 700; leisure and hospitality increased by 700; other services was up 400; information increased by 300; and manufacturing was up 100.

Washington state had 17,000 fewer jobs last month than it did in June 2009.

More than 308,000 people in Washington were unemployed and looking for work, and more than 254,000 people received unemployment benefits from the state in June.

Online:

Full report: bit.ly/9WRWOR

Employment Security Department: www.esd.wa.gov