Published: Tuesday, August 18, 2009
County, state unemployment rate drop slightly in July
Both Snohomish County and the state of Washington’s unemployment rate declined from June to July, according to a report released Tuesday.
Snohomish County’s unemployment rate, however, remains higher at 9.8 percent in July than the state’s average of 9.1 percent.
In a report released Tuesday, the Employment Security Department revised the county’s jobless rate for June to 10 percent from the 10.1 percent that was reported last month.
Despite the slight drop in unemployment, state leaders refrained from calling the good news a turnaround.
“While today’s news is reassuring and indicates that the economy may be stabilizing, this does not mean the national recession is over,” said Gov. Chris Gregoire, in a statement. “I continue to work closely with President Obama to distribute federal recovery funds efficiently and transparently to keep and create as many jobs in Washington state as possible.”
Year over year, Washington had 123,200 fewer jobs last month than in July 2008, a 4.1 percent decrease. Nationally, employment declined by 4.2 percent over the past year.
An estimated 315,853 people in Washington were unemployed and looking for work in July.
“The July numbers are further evidence that the recession is slowing, but it’s too soon to say whether we’ve turned the corner,” said Karen Lee, commissioner with the Employment Security Department. “We expect to see ups and downs for some time to come.”
Snohomish County’s unemployment rate, however, remains higher at 9.8 percent in July than the state’s average of 9.1 percent.
In a report released Tuesday, the Employment Security Department revised the county’s jobless rate for June to 10 percent from the 10.1 percent that was reported last month.
Despite the slight drop in unemployment, state leaders refrained from calling the good news a turnaround.
“While today’s news is reassuring and indicates that the economy may be stabilizing, this does not mean the national recession is over,” said Gov. Chris Gregoire, in a statement. “I continue to work closely with President Obama to distribute federal recovery funds efficiently and transparently to keep and create as many jobs in Washington state as possible.”
Year over year, Washington had 123,200 fewer jobs last month than in July 2008, a 4.1 percent decrease. Nationally, employment declined by 4.2 percent over the past year.
An estimated 315,853 people in Washington were unemployed and looking for work in July.
“The July numbers are further evidence that the recession is slowing, but it’s too soon to say whether we’ve turned the corner,” said Karen Lee, commissioner with the Employment Security Department. “We expect to see ups and downs for some time to come.”
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