Unemployment rate in Spokane area jumped in December due to windstorm

Spokane area businesses lost an estimated 1,900 jobs in December, in part because of the massive windstorm that knocked out power and closed some businesses. That raised the unemployment rate in the three-county area of northeastern Washington a full percentage point over November to 6.7 percent.

Doug Tweedy, labor market analyst for the Employment Security Department, said the numbers for December could go up or down as more companies report payroll data. Preliminary reports show decreases in the construction and the leisure and hospitality sectors, which can be linked at least partly to the Nov. 17 windstorm and its aftermath.

Some companies added jobs in cleanup and repair, but they didn’t offset the losses for business that lost power or sustained damage and had to close. State colleges also had staff reductions tied to the end of the semester or quarter; most of those jobs will return by mid to late January, he said.

Seasonal employment numbers often decline from November to December in Spokane, Pend Oreille and Stevens counties, Tweedy said, but an event like the windstorm can make the drop steeper than normal. The area gained about 3,900 jobs compared to December 2014, when the unemployment rate was 7.9 percent.