Washington’s unemployment rate headed back down in September, while the number of jobs continued to climb, according to the state Employment Security Department.
The estimated unemployment rate was 8.5 percent, down from 8.6 percent in August. At the same time, jobs grew by an estimated 1,200 in September.
Industries with the most estimated job gains in September were leisure and hospitality, and government. Most of the government job gains were in education, while employment in state agencies fell.
Industries with seasonally adjusted job losses included manufacturing; retail trade; other services; transportation, warehousing and utilities; wholesale trade; and financial activities.
In September, an estimated 296,000 people in Washington were unemployed and looking for work. That includes 126,000 who claimed unemployment benefits last month. (ESD)
