January 20, 2010 in News, Business

Spokane unemployment rate jumps to 9.3 percent

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Spokane County’s jobless rated climbed in December, hitting 9.3 percent, compared with 8.5 percent the month before, state labor analysts said today.

Two sectors accounted for the increased unemployment: retail and construction, said Doug Tweedy, regional labor economist with the Employment Security Department.

In December 2008, the jobless rate in Spokane was 7.3 percent.

Construction is typically off in December, Tweedy said. This past month, construction jobs declined in Spokane by 800.

Retail, normally an uptick in the local job picture at the end of the year, was basically flat this past December, Tweedy said. In December 2008 Spokane had 26,900 retail jobs.

But this past December, the number was 1,200 less than the year before, he added.

“The area did not have as many retail jobs” this year due to employers being wary of adding jobs in a sagging economy, he said.

Statewide, Washington’s jobless rate also rose, to 9.5 percent from November’s 9.0 percent. That increase reflected the loss of about 3,800 jobs statewide, the ESD reported.

The state’s largest losses were in manufacturing and services. Almost 80 percent (1,500) of all construction losses came from the specialty trade industry.

Services, across the state, lost 1,200 jobs from the month before.

Looking ahead, Tweedy is guardedly hopeful. “We’re seeing some gains in sub-sectors of the main four categories (manufacturing, construction, retail and financial) that lost the most jobs in the downturn.”

In manufacturing, he said chemical manufacturing and metal fabrication have had minor job gains in the last month.

Six comments on this story so far. Add yours!

• 

  empyrius on January 20 at 10:25 a.m.

  We have the extra bodies for the bags, and the rich man needs to get richer: quick, start another war!

• 

  bdr on January 20 at 11:54 a.m.

  Heck thats low….!
  Clark County ends year with highest jobless rate in Washington
  VANCOUVER — Clark County finished the year with the highest unemployment rate in Washington, at 14.3 percent in December

  ALL WE NEED TO GET NOW IS AN 7.0 EARTHQUAKE
  AND WE WILL GET FOOD WATER AND MILLIONS OF JOBS…QUICK FROM THE UN.

  someone said…..this downturn is the mother of all downturns
  2nd dip coming full steam (by a Pulitzer economist)
  1973 house offers will be generous when its over.

• 

  leekinny on January 20 at 3:12 p.m.

  Those, upper 2% that were given big tax breaks because of a free enterprise distortion called the ‘trickle down theory’ have stabbed the American people in the back.

  The theory only comes close to working when corporations act patriotically and invest in their companies and work force.

• 

  maynard on January 20 at 3:22 p.m.

  Who said the recesssion was over??? Think again economists. This recession will get worse before it gets better.

• 

  spokelooneh on January 20 at 11:20 p.m.

  More evidence of the “double dip” recession.

• 

  spokanecommunistparty on January 21 at 7:02 a.m.

  Our Republican’t Mayor sure does alot to help, maby a giant tax break for Avista Utilities? The magic trickle down effect will save us!