The jobless rate for Snohomish County and the state as a whole fell last month despite an economy officials described as “fairly flat.”
For Snohomish County, the unemployment rate dropped three-tenths of a percentage point, from 6.5 percent in June to 6.2 percent last month. Statewide, the rate fell from 6.1 percent in June to 6 percent in July, according to the state Employment Security Department.
Donna Thompson, a labor economist for the agency, noted that the job gains last month in Snohomish County were modest and expected for the season.
Food processors helped add 200 jobs in manufacturing in the county. Categories adding 100 jobs included construction, professional and business services, leisure and hospitality and other services.
Most other categories stayed even for the month, including jobs in aerospace.
“The one-tenth decline in the unemployment rate suggests that the economy in Washington remains flat,” Employment Security Commissioner Sylvia Mundy said in a Tuesday news release.
Employment Security department spokesman Greg Weeks said the economy is improving slowly. “The overall trend is upward, but not as quickly as we would like,” he said.
Snohomish County’s gains have been slow, but significant in comparison to July 2003, when unemployment here was at 8.5 percent. Since then, Boeing has completed its massive layoffs and even started rehiring, and other sectors also are slowly improving.
The county labor force is 353,900, with 332,000 working and 21,900 unemployed.
In Island County, unemployment dropped from 5.9 percent in June to 5.6 percent last month. There are 29,000 people in the workforce there with 1,600 looking for work.
Statewide, Ferry County had the worst unemployment at 10.6 percent. Garfield County had the lowest unemployment rate – 1.3 percent.
Mike Benbow: 425-339-3459; benbow@heraldnet.com.
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