Published February 2002

Jobless rate holds steady, ‘up significantly’ over year

By Mike Benbow
Herald Economy Editor

OLYMPIA — The jobless rates for Snohomish County and the state as a whole remained unchanged in December after rapid rises during the two previous months.

But officials from the state Employment Security Department say it’s only a temporary lull in the employment storm, and things should worsen as the Boeing Co. continues to cut thousands of workers from its payroll.

“Although the unemployment rate was unchanged, it is up significantly over the year,” said Security Commissioner Sylvia Mundy. “The rise in the rate reflects a continuing loss of jobs. Manufacturing was weak across the board, with the job losses particularly strong for aerospace firms.”

Statewide, unemployment was reported at 7 percent in December. The state initially reported November’s jobless rate at 6.8 percent, but later revised the figure upward to 7 percent.

In Snohomish County, the 6.3 percent rate translated into 21,900 people without jobs and 324,500 still working.

Overall, the county has lost 5,300 jobs during the past year, said Donna Thompson, Snohomish County labor economist for employment security.

In Snohomish County, there were some 27,400 people still working in the aircraft and parts industry in December. That’s down 3,100 jobs, or 11.3 percent, from a year ago, when 30,500 people had Boeing-related jobs. The state lost 4,400 aircraft-related jobs in December.

Boeing laid off some workers in December and gave 60-day layoff notices to others. Thompson said the full effects of those layoffs weren’t reflected in the December numbers because of the timing.

Thompson noted unemployment was 4.8 percent in Snohomish County in September, rising quickly to 5.7 percent in October and 6.3 percent in November.

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