Thurston County unemployment rate falls to 5.7 percent in October
Thurston County added 1,200 jobs in October, which helped to lower the county jobless rate to 5.7 percent last month from 7.9 percent in September, according to the state Employment Security Department.
Among the job gains were 500 jobs in professional and business services, 300 in leisure and hospitality (the restaurant and hotel industry) and 100 jobs in government, regional economist Jim Vleming said.
However, the county unemployment rate is likely to spike in November as a result of new retail and restaurant restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19. Although the county added 300 jobs in leisure and hospitality last month, those jobs could be gone, Vleming said.
—Rolf Boone
Rolf Boone
The Olympian