State Jobless Rate Hits 4.9%

Washington’s unemployment rate jumped four-tenths of 1 percent to 4.9 percent in November, according to Employment Security Commissioner Carver Gayton.

“This was the fourth November in a row with a rate below 5.0 percent,” Gayton said. “The increase was the highest since 1995, when the rate rose eight-tenths of 1 percent, but was about average for the month since 1990.”

The seasonally adjusted rate inched up two-tenths of 1 percent to 5 percent. The comparable national rate increased in November from 3.9 to 4.0 percent.

The rate increase stemmed from a spike in unemployment associated with, among other factors, very high electricity rates.

Spokane County’s unemployment rate rose 1 percent, from 4.3 percent a year ago to 5.3 percent this past November.

In October 2000, Spokane County’s revised unemployment rate was 4.6 percent, according to state numbers.

The October table shows 9,800 unemployed nonfarm workers in Spokane County. In November, that number grew by about 1,500, to 11,300.

The main contributors were layoffs and attrition of aluminum workers at Kaiser’s Trentwood and Mead plants, plus reductions in construction and business services.

This sidebar appeared with the story: Jobless rates

These are the November unemployment percentages for selected Washington counties. Spokane 5.3 Adams 12.9 Asotin 4.0 Benton 6.3 Clark 4.5 Columbia 12 Douglas 7.4 Ferry 11.2 Franklin 11.4 Garfield 4.7 Grant 10.4 King 3.4 Lincoln 5.3 Okanogan 10.7 Pend Oreille 7.6 Pierce 4.7 Snohomish 3.5 Stevens 8.5 Walla Walla 5.4 Whitman 2.0 State high Adams (12.9) State low Whitman (2.0)