OLYMPIA, Wash.—Washington's jobless rate has dipped slightly to 4.7 percent, continuing a streak of low unemployment that reflects a strong state economy, officials said Tuesday.
The latest unemployment figures, covering November, are a small reduction from the 4.8 percent reported in October.
Washington employers added 5,200 jobs last month, building on the estimated 6,900 jobs added in October, state Employment Security Commissioner Karen Lee said.
Payrolls have grown by 78,600 in the past 12 months -- an annual growth rate of 2.7 percent, outpacing the national rate of 1.1 percent. The state's jobless rate was 5 percent one year ago.
November's jobless report continues the state's yearlong string of low unemployment numbers. The modern record for low unemployment, 4.4 percent, was set in April. Economists typically say anything below 5 percent is textbook full employment.
"Our unemployment rate has stayed remarkably consistent and remarkably low since the beginning of the year," Lee said.
The national unemployment rate is 4.7 percent, unchanged from the previous two months.
Professional and business services showed the fastest November job growth of any industry in Washington, with 1,600 new jobs added. Education and health services added 900 jobs. The manufacturing sector joined the transportation, warehousing and utilities industry in adding 800 new jobs.
State employment analysts were somewhat surprised to see growth in the finance sector amid national woes in the mortgage market. Payrolls in the industry were up by about 400 jobs in November, better than the previous three months' pace and an increase of 1.3 percent from a year earlier.
Officials noted that Washington Mutual Inc. plans to lay off some 3,000 workers next year, although Washington state's share of the job loss is expected to be about 600.
The largest employment weakness was in the information sector, where 300 jobs were lost in November despite an increase in the software publishing industry. Government agencies and the leisure and hospitality sector each lost 100 jobs.
Officials estimate that 160,500 Washingtonians are jobless and looking for work, out of a total labor force of about 3.48 million.
The seasonally adjusted rate for the Seattle-Bellevue-Everett metro area dropped to 3.7 percent last month.
Unemployment rates, not seasonally adjusted, in metropolitan areas around the state: Bellingham, 4.1 percent; Bremerton, 4.4; Longview, 6.4; Mount Vernon-Anacortes, 4.9; Olympia, 4.4; Spokane, 4.7; Tacoma, 4.8; Tri-Cities, 5.6; Wenatchee, 5.1; and Yakima, 6.8.
These labor market areas also were reported: Aberdeen, 7.2 percent; Centralia, 7; Ellensburg, 5.1; Moses Lake, 6.6; Oak Harbor, 5.3; Port Angeles, 6.3; Pullman, 3.9; Shelton, 5.6; and Walla Walla, 4.6.
Unemployment rates in these counties were: Adams, 6.8 percent; Asotin, 4.5; Benton, 4.9; Chelan, 5.2; Clark, 5.4; Columbia, 7.2; Douglas, 5; Ferry, 7.2; Franklin, 7.4; Garfield, 5; Jefferson, 4.6; King, 3.7; Klickitat, 6.1; Lincoln, 5.5; Okanogan, 6.7; Pacific, 7.1; Pend Oreille, 6.6; San Juan, 3.8; Skamania, 6.4; Snohomish, 4.2; Stevens, 6.6; and Wahkiakum, 6.5.
