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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Mike Benbow, Business Editor benbow@heraldnet.com   Published: Tuesday, June 16, 2009 County’s unemployment rate rises to 9.5 percent Michelle Dunlop Herald Writer Snohomish County’s jobless rate rose to 9.5 percent in May after seeing a decline in April, according to data released by the state Tuesday. The county’s unemployment rate slight exceeds that of the state, which reported a 9.4 percent rate for May. The state said Tuesday that employers eliminated 6,700 jobs last month. Snohomish County had seen its unemployment drop to 8.4 percent in April, but regional economist Donna Thompson had suspected the decline was due to inaccurate numbers rather than an improved economy. On Tuesday, Thompson was proved correct. The county shed another 500 jobs last month. “The economic numbers are volatile right now, and at times contradictory,” said Dr. Greg Weeks, who heads Employment Security’s labor-market information office. “The recession has been deep and wide, and we’re likely to see ups and downs for awhile.” The state lost 116,000 jobs from May 2008 to May 2009, a 3.9 percent decrease. Nationally, employment declined by 3.9 percent over the past year. An estimated 327,430 people in Washington were unemployed and looking for work in May, with about 215,218 receiving unemployment benefits. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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