
Washington State Unemployment Growing Faster Than You’re Told
Unemployment in Washington State is higher, and growing faster, than you think. Numbers are a snapshot in time when it comes to things such as unemployment. Month to month the changes may not strike you as significant, but when you compare data from 6 and 12 months ago it does. Let's work our way to that.
The Numbers Right Now
Wallethub.com did a deep dive on states where unemployment claims were rising the most. Washington State didn't have a great showing. To be fair, a number of sectors that have a huge footprint in the state have shed jobs like an animal does fur. The tech sector has lost nearly 12,000 jobs since the summer of 2022 and 200 alone from August to September of this year.
Those jobs losses are one big reason why the Evergreen State has outpaced the nation's unemployment rate. In fact, Washington State has had a higher unemployment rate than the nation 8 of the last 9 years. What is concerning is the rate of increase compared to the rest of the country.

Washington State Has The 5th Highest Unemployment Growth
Wallethub released it's study today, so the numbers you're seeing are as current as possible (between September 16th and 23rd). Our unemployment rate went up over 16% from last week, 5th highest in the U.S. The number of claims filed per 100,000 people in the workforce was also the 5th highest of the 50 States and DC with 160 of every 100,000. The 5th place ranking nationally came in triplicate when looking at initial unemployment claims per 100,000 people over the last week.
If You Think That Is Alarming...
The year to year figure is eye popping. The unemployment rate in Washington from September 16th -23rd of 2023 to now is up almost one-third!
Another sector that has seen cuts, especially here, is in the public sector i.e. government employees. Zachary Schaller, a Ph.D. and is an Assistant Professor, Department of Economics – Colorado State University, had this to say about the current state of unemployment in the country:
It depends on the job. We are still seeing low-wage workers exerting some market power since labor demand remains high relative to supply, but in general employers enjoy the upper hand in today’s labor market. For job seekers without trade skills or college education, finding wages over $25/hour is becoming extremely difficult. Those that do find it are often working under contingent contracts without much in the way of job security or benefits such as health insurance.
With the holidays approaching we could see a decrease with seasonal employment. I say could because there are also seasonal employees that are hired to do outdoor work when the weather is warmer. The cost of goods aren't coming down as of yet so the loss of summer jobs vs the gain of winter jobs will be another snapshot to dive into later. For Wallethub's full study click here
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Gallery Credit: Reesha Cosby
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