Published April 2002

Local jobless rate rises; state’s falls

By Mike Benbow
Herald Business Editor

Layoffs at the Boeing Co.’s Everett plant continued to take their toll in February, increasing Snohomish County’s jobless rolls even as the statewide unemployment rate dropped significantly.

Unemployment was 8.1 percent in the county in February, compared with a January rate of 8 percent. Statewide, the jobless rate dipped to 8 percent in February, compared with a January rate of 8.3 percent, the state Employment Security Department reported.

Locally, the Boeing layoffs had the biggest impact.

“Layoffs continue to ripple throughout the economy, fueled by ongoing monthly layoff announcements by Boeing, the largest employer in the economy,” said Donna Thompson, the department’s Snohomish County labor economist.

Thompson said the county lost a total of 1,400 jobs in February, 600 alone in the aircraft and parts industry. During the past 12 months, the county’s aircraft industry has shrunk by 8.6 percent, or a total of 2,600 lost jobs.

It’s all part of Boeing’s effort to shed 30,000 jobs companywide, including some 20,000 in the Puget Sound area. The company won’t release plant-by-plant statistics, but it’s estimated that as many as 7,500 jobs could be eliminated in Everett when layoffs end by midyear. Until then, the jobs in Everett and elsewhere around Puget Sound will continue to shrink as layoff notices are issued every month.

The Boeing cutbacks and the general downturn in the economy have affected many of the county’s basic industries. Shedding jobs in February were lumber and wood products, durable goods, general construction, wholesale, food store, apparel, insurance and retail industries.

Among those adding jobs were the garden supply, industrial machinery, printing, petroleum, hotel and hospital industries, as well as local and state schools.

The numbers mean that out of an estimated labor force of 343,600 people in Snohomish County, 315,800 had jobs and 27,800 didn’t.

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