For The First Time Since May, Washington Lost Jobs In December

OLYMPIA, WA — Preliminary data from the Employment Security Department says Washington's economy lost a total 9,900 jobs over last month, causing the unemployment rate to jump nearly 1.5 percent.

According to the ESD, the state's unemployment rate now hovers around 7.1 percent — higher than the national unemployment rate of 6.7 percent. Despite significant job losses early in the pandemic, Washington had typically stayed at or below the national unemployment level prior to December.

December is also the first time the state has lost jobs overall since May — though it pales in comparison to April 2020 when the state lost a total 259,500 jobs.

The ESD report largely avoids speculating on why the unemployment rate has risen, but it likely is tied to the state's latest batch of COVID-19 restrictions and shutdowns, which began in mid-November. Those restrictions banned bars and restaurants from providing indoor service. In turn, the ESD's report shows the largest job losses were in leisure, hospitality and food service sectors. Those losses were undercut somewhat by gains in professional and business services, transportation and retail.

Data also shows that unemployment varies significantly by county: Pacific County has it worst with an unemployment rate of 10.7%, whereas Asotin County has just 4.6% unemployment, comparable to the state's pre-pandemic unemployment rate.

Read the Employment Security Department's full monthly employment report for December 2020.