Snohomish County’s jobless rate hits 7.1%

Snohomish County’s jobless rate increased dramatically in December, with nearly 4,000 people joining the unemployment rolls.

The unemployment rate for the county hit 7.1 percent last month, up from 6.2 percent in November. Statewide, the rate was also 7.1 percent in December, up from 6.3 percent in November.

“In barely a year, we’ve gone from historically low unemployment to record numbers of people applying for unemployment benefits,” said Karen Lee, the state employment security commissioner.

She said 251,728 people in the state were looking for work at the end of the year, 90,000 more than a year ago, when unemployment in Washington was 4.8 percent. In Snohomish County, the unemployment rate was 4.1 percent in December 2007. Then, there were 15,400 people on unemployment. Last month, the number had risen to 27,140.

Statewide, the information, aerospace and education sectors added jobs in December. Down significantly were jobs in construction, manufacturing, professional and business services, transportation, trade and utilities and administrative and support services.