Storms, Seasonal Cutbacks Drive Up State Jobless Rate Increase To 6.1% In December Was Bigger Jump Than Normal

Severe winter storms and normal seasonal slowdowns in the economy combined to push Washington’s unemployment rate up three-tenths of a percentage point to 6.1 percent in December.

“Pullbacks in construction, agriculture, food processing, and tourism, in particular, set the tone as winter weather hit the state hard,” Employment Security Acting Commissioner Wendy Holden said Tuesday.

While the uptick in the jobless count was larger than usual for the month, the rate remained well below the 6.4 percent level of a year ago. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the state’s unemployment rate inched up two-tenths of a percentage point to 6.0 percent, seven-tenths of a percentage point above the comparable U.S. rate of 5.3 percent in December.

Bad weather and seasonal declines also bumped Spokane’s unemployment rate higher for the month. Spokane’s December rate was 5.7 percent, up from an adjusted rate of 5 percent for November, and up slightly from 5.5 percent in December of 1995.

During the month, 190,100 of Spokane’s 201,500-person work force had jobs, and 11,400 did not.

Statewide, “Total non-farm wage and salary employment fell by 7,800 workers over the month,” said Dennis Fusco, the department’s chief economist. “The usual drop in employment in recent years has been about 6,600.”

Manufacturing payrolls declined 900, while wholesale and retail trade rose by 3,300.

, DataTimes