County’s aerospace jobs hold steady in May despite Boeing layoffs

Published 2:07 pm Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Here’s a tidbit of good news: the number of aerospace jobs in Snohomish County didn’t decline last month despite layoffs at Boeing.

Boeing began handing out pink slips earlier this year as the company planned to trim its employment companywide by 6 percent this year. That meant 4,500 job cuts in the commercial airplanes division.

The decline here in Snohomish County hasn’t been as steep as expected … or, at least, not yet. Boeing does plan to slow production rates for its Everett-built 777 next year.

So far, the county had more aerospace jobs at the end of May, 35,700, than it did at the end of May 2008 with 34,900.

Certainly, Boeing’s efforts to get the 787 out the door have something to do with that steady aerospace employment rate.

The county’s unemployment rate, however, did rise in May to 9.5 percent.