August is a typically decent jobs month, but the latest job totals from the state and from Spokane County show a continuation of a generally OK year, but nothing great.

The preliminary jobless number for Spokane County for August is 9.2 percent, according to the state Employment Security Department. In July it was 8.8. The August number is not seasonally adjusted, said Doug Tweedy, the state's Eastern Washington labor economist.

A year ago, Spokane County was also at 9.2 percent.

The telling difference: in August 2010 the county had 212,110 employed adults. This past August that number fell to 208,410.

The biggest losers by industries were:  Government, retail trade, construction and financial services.

Look for a more detailed summary at Spokesman.com later today, or in tomorrow's business section of The Spokesman-Review.

The state of Washington does its jobless rate announcements differently. It announced the statewide jobless rate of 9.2 percent last week.

Then, today, the state released the metro and county numbers. 

Spokane's rate inched up slightly this March, to 10.5 percent.

The interesting data tidbit is the effect on jobs of the crummy spring weather, according to regional labor economist Doug Tweedy.

A year ago the county had a higher jobless rate (11 percent) but it also had  500 more people working than we had in March 2011, state labor data show.

Tweedy said that comes from seasonal impacts and crummy spring weather. “The weather this past March has slowed outdoor jobs” including construction, landscaping and other areas of the job market, he said.

It's a good thing we don't have tons of jobs reliant on golf courses, swimming pools, splashdown parks and bike rentals. The impact on those areas would have been harsh this year.