Unemployment for both Snohomish County and Washington state was at 9.1 percent in May.
For the county, the rate was unchanged from the revised jobless rate from April. For the state the rate fell to the lowest level since a year ago, the state Employment Security Department reported Tuesday.
“My overall sense is that things are leveling out,” said Anneliese Vance-Sherman, a labor economist for employment security. “May was relatively flat. There was a small increase in jobs.”
The county added about 2,800 jobs in May, but all but 700 of them were temporary positions with the federal government to work on the census, Vance-Sherman noted.
The biggest growth sector in the county was tourism and hospitality, which would be expected for summer, she added.
“In sum, the economy is flat right now,” she said. “It isn’t really growing, but it has not been showing signs of overall decline in terms of the job market for the past two months.
In April, the local jobless rate was initially set at 8.9 percent as the county added 900 new jobs.
The added jobs for the county in May didn’t change the unemployment rate. That can happen when people without a job for some time rejoin the job market as opportunities improve. People who have stopped searching for a job and are not still receiving jobless benefits aren’t included in the jobless statistics.
Sectors adding jobs included aerospace, which added 100 workers, retail shops, telecommunications, bars and restaurants and government.
Many job sectors were flat last month, but some lost jobs. That included business and professional services and employment services, two key areas because they generally grow when businesses need to hire temporary help before deciding to hire permanent employees.
In May, the county had an estimated labor force of 382,470 people, with an estimated 347,730 people working and an estimated 34,730 people still looking for work.
The state added about 8,600 new jobs last month, nearly all of them temporary from positions added by the government for the census. The state has added jobs in four of the first five months of this year for a net gain of 25,800 so far this year.
“It’s refreshing to talk about job growth and a falling unemployment rate,” said Karen Lee, employment security commissioner. “The momentum seems to be shifting in the right direction.”
In Island County, the jobless rate rose to 8.9 percent last month, up slightly from 8.8 percent in April.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
