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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spokane County employment nearly back to pre-recession levels

Labor Day was declared a federal holiday in 1894 “dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers,” according to the U.S. Department of Labor. So how are workers in Spokane County doing? Here’s a quick look at some trends in wages, employment and the labor market.

Nearly back to pre-recession levels

For 2015, average unemployment in Spokane County was at 6.4 percent, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s coming close to the 2008 unemployment level of 6 percent. It’s also lower than unemployment in 2014, which was 6.9 percent.

“That’s something to celebrate,” said Patrick Jones, executive director of Eastern Washington University’s Institute for Public Policy and Economic Analysis. Spokane has also gained jobs in the first half of 2016, a promising sign, he said.

Washington’s Employment Security Department estimated July 2016 unemployment at 6.6 percent in Spokane County. That’s higher than the statewide rate of 5.7 percent and King County’s 4.4 percent, but lower than the rates for many counties in southwestern Washington and the Olympic Peninsula.

Spokane’s labor force participation rate, meaning the number of people who are either employed or seeking work, also increased from 58 percent in 2014 to 63 percent in 2015. Washington’s rate for 2015 was 64 percent, meaning Spokane’s labor force participation is the closest it’s been to the state average since 2008.

Health care still a dominant sector

Health care and social assistance make up 18.6 percent of jobs in Spokane County, according to data from the Employment Security Department, versus just 12.5 percent of jobs statewide. That’s likely because Spokane serves as a medical hub for the Inland Northwest, operating large hospitals that provide specialty care unavailable in many smaller communities.

Health care has also grown its share of jobs in the county more than any other sector in the past decade.

“I’d say that’s been driving a lot of the growth” in jobs, Jones said.

Registered nurses are the top job sought online in Spokane, with 250 new jobs posted in July 2016, the Employment Security Department says. Other health care jobs are on the top 25 list, including medical assistants and medical and health services manager.

Income growth rate faster than in U.S.

While income has remained largely stagnant across the U.S. since the 2008 recession, Spokane County is seeing some growth. In 2014, personal per-capita income in the county grew 3.3 percent, higher than the nationwide growth of 2.8 percent. Washington’s per-capita income grew 3.7 percent in the same period.

“That’s the best we’ve seen in a while,” Jones said.

With that growth, per-capita income in Spokane County was $39,067 in 2014, still far below the state level of $49,610 and the national $46,049. Jones said it would be nice to see Spokane catch up.

“My sense is that 2016 is seeing a continued good growth of wage increases,” Jones said. “Little by little I think we’re going to be tracking some metros in Western Washington.”