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Hiring continues strong in April

5/15/2019

19-036

Contact:   Paul Turek, labor economist, 360-507-9599
                   Bretta Beveridge, communications manager, 360-902-9293

 
OLYMPIA – Washington’s economy gained 13,500 jobs in April and the state’s seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment rate for April rose slightly to 4.7 percent according to the Employment Security Department. The revised estimated March 2019 unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.6 percent.

“It’s good to see the hiring rebound in March continue into April” said Paul Turek, economist for the department. “April’s employment gains show the state’s labor market remains strong.”

The Employment Security Department released the preliminary job estimates from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics as part of its Monthly Employment Report.

The department also announced that March’s previously reported unemployment rate of 4.6 percent was confirmed. March’s preliminary estimated gain of 27,900 jobs was revised slightly to a gain of 27,700 jobs.

The national unemployment rate was 3.6 percent in April 2019. In April 2018, the national unemployment rate was 3.9 percent.

Employment Security paid unemployment insurance benefits to 57,977 people in April.

 
More people continue to move into the labor force

The state’s labor force in April was 3,870,100 – an increase of 8,100 people from the previous month. In the Seattle/Bellevue/Everett region, the labor force increased by 1,400 over the same period.

From April 2018 through April 2019, the state’s labor force grew by 98,300 and the Seattle/Bellevue/Everett region increased by 34,700.

The labor force is the total number of people, both employed and unemployed, over the age of 16.

 
Eleven industry sectors expanded and two contracted

Private sector employment increased by 11,800 while the public sector gained 1,700 jobs in April. This month’s report shows private job growth occurred in professional & business services up 2,800 jobs, education & health services up 2,300 jobs, financial activities up 1,900 jobs leisure & hospitality up 1,600 jobs, other services up 1,200 jobs and manufacturing up 1,000 jobs. Also posting job gains are information up 700 jobs, wholesale trade up 600 jobs, retail trade up 500 jobs, and transportation, warehousing & utilities up 400 jobs. The two sectors that posted job losses are construction down 1,100 jobs and mining & logging down 100 jobs.

 
Year-over-year growth in payroll employment moves back up

Washington added an estimated 83,100 new jobs from April 2018 through April 2019, not seasonally adjusted. The private sector grew by 3.1 percent, up an estimated 87,100 jobs, while public sector employment decreased by 0.7 percent with a net loss of 4,000 jobs.

From April 2018 through April 2019, ten out of the thirteen major industries added jobs, two   sectors contracted and one sector remained unchanged.

The three industry sectors with the largest employment gains year-over-year, not seasonally adjusted, were:

  • Education & health services with 18,200 new jobs
  • Professional & business services with 16,900 new jobs
  • Leisure & hospitality with 12,500 new jobs
     

Labor market information

Check it out! ESD has new labor market information and tools, including a video tutorial, to highlight popular information and data.
 

WorkSource

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 resumes, interviewing and skills training. WorkSource also helps employers advertise jobs, convene hiring events and connect with subsidized employee training.

Find WorkSource locations and more than 140,000 job openings on WorkSourceWA.com. 

Note: The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently updated its “alternative measures of labor underutilization,” or U-6 rate, for states to include the first quarter of 2019. The U-6 rate considers not only the unemployed population in the official U-3 unemployment rate, but also “the underemployed and those not looking but wanting a job.” The U-6 unemployment rate for the second quarter of 2018 through the first quarter of 2019 for Washington state was 8.1 percent. This was lower compared to the 9.0 percent U-6 unemployment rate one year prior. The U.S. U-6 unemployment rate was 7.6 percent over the same time period.
 

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