Thurston County unemployment soars to 14.9 percent in April
Washington state unemployment soared in April and county jobless rates followed suit on Tuesday, showing double-digit increases from March, according to new data released by the Employment Security Department.
Some of the countywide unemployment increases were staggering, the data show.
Pierce County, for example, saw its jobless rate jump to 18.2 percent last month after the county shed more than 50,000 non-farm jobs in April.
Whatcom County also entered the stratosphere with a jobless rate of 17.2 percent.
The increase in unemployment wasn’t surprising since the governor closed down the economy to all but essential businesses to limit the spread of the virus. The economy is now slowly reopening through state-identified phases, although it’s still an unknown as to how long the recovery will take. Data on how much the virus bounces back as people start getting out again will dictate how quickly the state will reopen.
Regional economist Jim Vleming expects the higher jobless rates to linger for a while, and doesn’t expect the non-farm numbers to “pop up anytime soon.”
The Thurston County jobless rate jumped to 14.9 percent from a revised rate of 4.6 percent in March, a reminder that the economy was in relatively good shape not so long ago. The county shed 12,200 non-farm jobs over the month, including 4,100 jobs in leisure and hospitality, Vleming said.
The leisure and hospitality category includes restaurants and hotels, two industries that have suffered as this state and others try to limit the spread of the virus. A year ago in April, the county’s jobless rate was 5 percent, Vleming said.
During the Great Recession, Thurston County peak unemployment hit 10.1. percent in February 2010. The recession took a while to be felt here. The pandemic, however, has condensed that impact into one month.
A closer look at some county jobless data for April:
▪ Pierce County: 18.2 percent, up from 4.9 percent in March. The county shed 52,700 non-farm jobs last month, more than 15,000 in leisure and hospitality.
▪ Whatcom County: 17.2 percent, up from 4.7 percent in March. The county shed 13,200 non-farm jobs, including 5,700 in leisure and hospitality.
▪ Thurston County: 14.9 percent, up from 4.6 percent in March. The county shed 12,200 non-farm jobs, including 4,100 in leisure and hospitality.
▪ Benton/Franklin counties: 12.7 percent, up from 5 percent in March. The Tri-Cities area shed 13,000 jobs, 3,200 in leisure and hospitality.
The seasonally adjusted statewide jobless rate in April was 15.4 percent. The national jobless rate last month was 14.7 percent.
This story was originally published May 26, 2020 at 11:38 AM.
