Seasonal Cuts Blamed For Jump In State’s Unemployment Rate

Seasonal employment cutbacks in construction, tourism and resourcebased industries boosted Washington’s jobless rate from 5.5 percent to 5.9 percent in October, the Employment Security Department announced Tuesday.

Non-farm wage and salary employment fell by 22,100 workers during October as a result of 22,500 Boeing Machinists and more than 100 Fife school teachers walking off the job.

“While striking workers are not counted as unemployed in the rate calculation, they are excluded from the monthly payroll reports,” said Dennis Fusco, chief economist for the department. “This clouds month-to-month and over-the-year comparisons.”

In Spokane County, where unemployment edged up to 5 percent, about half the total loss of 700 manufacturing jobs was attributed to the Boeing strike by Fred Walsh, regional labor economist with the department.

Construction gave up 200 jobs, he said, but anticipated back-to-school hiring kept overall employment numbers up.

Growth in private sector employment was particularly strong, he said.

Total employment in the county was 180,900, an increase of 1,200 from September.

Statewide, manufacturing aside from aerospace dropped 600 jobs during the month because of seasonal losses in wood products and pulp and paper. Gains came in machinery, electronics, fruit and vegetable processing and ship and boat building.

Construction payrolls fell by 2,100 and wholesale and retail trade posted a loss of 2,700 jobs.

General merchandising added 1,100 workers.

Service employment fell by 5,500 jobs due mainly to retrenchment at hotels, lodging places and amusement and recreational facilities.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Map: County-by-county monthly unemployment rates