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Washington’s unemployment rate in September was 4.9%

Published 2:59 pm Wednesday, October 20, 2021

FILE - In this May 26, 2020, file photo, a sign at the headquarters for the Washington state Employment Security Department is shown at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. Washington state's rush to get unemployment benefits to residents who lost jobs due to the coronavirus outbreak left it vulnerable to criminals who made off with hundreds of millions of dollars in fraudulent claims. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
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FILE - In this May 26, 2020, file photo, a sign at the headquarters for the Washington state Employment Security Department is shown at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. Washington state's rush to get unemployment benefits to residents who lost jobs due to the coronavirus outbreak left it vulnerable to criminals who made off with hundreds of millions of dollars in fraudulent claims. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
Employers in Washington state added 17,600 jobs in September. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

Associated Press

SEATTLE — Washington state’s unemployment rate in September was 4.9%, down from 5.1% in August.

Employers added 17,600 jobs in September, a 7.3% increase over August, the state Employment Security Department reported Wednesday.

The Seattle Times reports September’s job growth was disappointing in comparison to June and July, when the state added 25,600 and 24,300 jobs, respectively.

September’s modest increase likely reflects in part the surge in COVID cases that month, said Anneliese Vance-Sherman, an ESD regional economist who covers the Seattle area.

“We’re still growing, but it’s slower than what we were seeing prior to the current wave of COVID,” Vance-Sherman said.

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