Published July 2004

Jobless rate drops to 6.5% in county

SCBJ Staff

The Snohomish County economy showed signs of a recovery in May, adding 1,000 jobs as the unemployment rate fell.

The county’s jobless rate was 6.5 percent in May, down 0.3 percentage points from April, the state Employment Security Department said.

The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate also declined, the department reported, to 6.1 percent, down from 6.3 percent in April.

Both the state and the county jobless rates continued to be higher than the national average, which was 5.6 percent in May.

In Snohomish County, the greatest improvement came in retail trade jobs. Businesses in that sector added 500 jobs over the month. In all, 27,600 people held jobs in retail businesses in May, an increase of 900 over the same month last year. Employment in the sector that includes restaurants and bars also increased, adding 600 jobs in May for a total of 16,400. That’s an increase of 1,400 jobs over May 2003.

Overall, service-sector businesses have added 4,000 jobs over the past year, while businesses have cut 2,800 people — with 2,400 of those jobs lost in the aerospace industry.

Boeing and other aerospace companies still employ 21,300 people in Snohomish County.

Statewide, the state gained 26,500 jobs during the month, the department said. The leisure and hospitality industries accounted for 6,200 of those new jobs, while construction companies hired 5,100 new people.

Statewide, manufacturers added 1,900 jobs during the month.

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