Published May 2001

State jobless rate falls; county rate remains steady

By Mike Benbow
Herald Economy Editor

The Feb. 28 earthquake boosted the state’s economy in March, helping to increase the number of jobs despite a major shutdown in the aluminum industry, the state Employment Security Department reported.

Statewide, unemployment fell in March to 6 percent, a decline of 0.4 percentage points from February. In Snohomish County, the jobless rate was unchanged from February, at 4.7 percent.

Washington state added 21,300 jobs in March despite losing 700 jobs in the aluminum industry, which has virtually shut down throughout the West because of the dramatic increases in electricity prices.

Construction jobs, however, increased by 6,900 in March, and state officials said the gains were “atypically high in all of its subsectors,” a phenomenon attributed to the need to repair earthquake damage.

The service field added 8,400 jobs, and trade added 3,500 positions.

In Snohomish County, unemployment is slightly higher than it was a year ago, due almost entirely to a drop in wholesale and retail trade jobs, according to Donna Thompson of Employment Security.

Thompson noted there were 2,200 fewer jobs in this category in comparison with March 2000. But Boeing-related jobs increased in March by 100, going from 30,500 in February to 30,600.

In addition to aircraft and parts, the county gained jobs in health services, government and construction.

Jobs were down in the county in a large number of areas. Notable were lumber and wood products, down 300, and ship and boat building and repair, down 200.

Snohomish County’s numbers mean that of an estimated work force of 352,700 people, 16,500 were out of work.

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