English | Español
QUICK LINKS
FREQUENTLY USED LINKS
RELATED LINKS
FORMS
CONTACT US
Payroll hiring slows in August
9/18/2019
#19-051
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – September 18, 2019
Contact:
Paul Turek, labor economist, 360-507-9599
Bretta Beveridge, communications manager, 360-902-9293
OLYMPIA – Washington’s economy gained 2,300 jobs in August and the state’s seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment rate for August was unchanged at 4.6 percent according to the Employment Security Department.
“The slower hiring in August tended to be broad based with more industries shedding jobs than adding them” said Paul Turek, economist for the department, “Coupled with the downward revision to July’s payroll numbers, today’s report shows weaker hiring since the start of the year.”
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 July’s previously reported unemployment rate of 4.6 was confirmed. July’s preliminary estimated gain of 13,400 jobs was revised to a gain of 5,900 jobs.
The national unemployment rate also remained unchanged at 3.7 percent in August 2019. In August 2018, the national unemployment rate was 3.8 percent.
Employment Security paid unemployment insurance benefits to 46,149 people in August.
Labor force adds more participants
The state’s labor force in August was 3,895,600 – an increase of 10,900 people from the previous month. In the Seattle/Bellevue/Everett region, the labor force increased by 4,400 over the same period.
From August 2018 through August 2019, the state’s labor force grew by 93,200 and the Seattle/Bellevue/Everett region increased by 33,800.
The labor force is the total number of people, both employed and unemployed, over the age of 16.
Five industry sectors expanded and eight contracted
Private sector employment increased by 2,800 while the public sector decreased 500 jobs in August. This month’s report shows the largest private job growth occurred in education & health services up 2,800 jobs, wholesale trade up 1,400 jobs, information up 1,200 jobs and professional & business services and manufacturing both up 600 jobs. Leisure & hospitality posted the largest decline down 1,400 jobs followed by retail trade down 800 jobs, construction down 700 jobs, government down 500 jobs, other services down 400 jobs, financial activities down 300 jobs while mining & logging and transportation, warehousing & utilities were both down 100 jobs.
Year-over-year growth in payroll employment
Washington added an estimated 65,200 new jobs from August 2018 through August 2019, not seasonally adjusted. The private sector grew by 2.2 percent, up an estimated 61,800 jobs, while public sector employment rose 0.6 percent with a net gain of 3,400 jobs.
From August 2018 through August 2019, ten out of the thirteen major industries added jobs while three sectors contracted.
The three industry sectors with the largest employment gains year-over-year, not seasonally adjusted, were:
- Professional & business services with 14,200 new jobs
- Education & health services with 13,700 new jobs
- Information with 10,300 new jobs
Labor market information
Check it out! ESD has new labor market information and tools, including interactive Tableau graphics 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 second 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 second quarter of 2019 for Washington state was 7.8 percent. This was lower compared to the 8.9 percent U-6 unemployment rate one year prior. The U.S. U-6 unemployment rate was 7.4 percent over the same time period.