Published November
2001
Unemployment
rate rises
in county, drops in state
By
Mike Benbow
Herald Economy Editor
Despite a statewide
drop in unemployment, the jobless rate rose slightly in Snohomish County
in September, the state Employment Security Department reported.
And the full brunt
of the layoffs triggered by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks won’t show
up in the numbers until October’s figures are tallied, officials said.
“The effects of
September 11 were not fully captured in our state’s labor market data,”
said Sylvia Mundy, Commissioner of the department. “The October data,
however, is expected to reveal the unfolding effects of its aftermath,
particularly at the national level.”
In Snohomish County,
where unemployment was 4.6 percent in August, the rate rose 0.2 percentage
points to 4.8 percent in September. That means that from a labor force
estimated at 337,700 people, about 16,100 were without work.
Washington’s unemployment
rate decreased slightly overall in September to 5.5 percent. It had been
5.6 percent in August.
When adjusted for
normal seasonal changes, September’s statewide jobless rate increased
slightly to 6.1 percent compared to August. The seasonally adjusted national
rate remained unchanged at 4.9 percent in September.
The biggest boost
to the state’s employment ranks came from the 17,500 state and federal
education jobs added with the new school year. Manufacturing lost 1,500
jobs, while retail trade contracted by 3,500 jobs.
Unemployment topped
10 percent in Cowlitz and Klickitat counties. The rate was 3 percent or
less in Garfield, San Juan and Whitman counties.
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