Comeback continues: Washington added jobs again in April
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Media contacts: Dave Wallace, acting chief economist, 360-438-4818
Jamie Swift, communications manager, 360-902-0904
OLYMPIA – Washington’s black-and-blue economy continued its comeback in April.
The state added an estimated 5,800 jobs last month, while the unemployment rate dipped from 9.2 to 9.1 percent.
Since April 2010, Washington has added an estimated 41,500 jobs.
“We’re beginning to see job growth pick up some real momentum,” said Employment Security Commissioner Paul Trause. “It’s tough to not feel optimistic about where we’re going.”
Industries that posted gains in April were construction, up 2,400; professional and business services, up 1,700; manufacturing, up 1,200; retail trade, up 900; transportation, warehousing and utilities, up 900; information, up 900; education and health services, up 900; financial activities, up 500; and wholesale trade, up 200.
Jobs were lost in government, down 2,500; other services, down 800; and leisure and hospitality, down 500.
An estimated 307,737 people (not seasonally adjusted) in Washington were unemployed and looking for work in April, and 217,038 people received unemployment benefits from Washington.
Employment Security is a partner in the statewide WorkSource system, which offers a variety of employment and training services for job seekers, including free help with interviewing skills, résumés and job referrals. WorkSource also can help employers recruit and screen for qualified workers, apply for employment tax breaks and qualify for subsidized employee training.
Locations of local WorkSource offices are listed online at www.go2worksource.com. Assistance also is available by phone at 877-872-5627.
In addition, more than 22,000 job openings are posted online at www.go2worksource.com.
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- Regional economists: http://www.workforceexplorer.com/Article.asp?ARTICLEID=1688
- Full report - http://www.workforceexplorer.com/cgi/dataanalysis/?PAGEID=148
- Employment Security website – www.esd.wa.gov
- WorkSource website - www.go2worksource.com
- Local data - https://esd.wa.gov/labormarketinfo/county-profiles
Broadcast version
Washington added an estimated fifty-eight-hundred jobs in April, while the unemployment rate dropped from nine-point-two percent to nine-point-one percent.
Construction, manufacturing, and professional-and-business services posted the largest gains.
Among the industries that lost jobs were government, and leisure-and-hospitality.
Washington has added more than forty-one-thousand jobs in the past year.
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