Published November 2003

Manufacturing losses contribute to 8.5%
jobless rate

By Mike Benbow
Herald Business Editor

Snohomish County’s jobless rate rose to 8.5 percent in September, a high not seen here in September since 1989, when President George W. Bush’s father was the president.

While the unemployment rates for neighboring Island County and the state as a whole remained unchanged, Snohomish County’s climbed three-tenths of a percentage point, from 8.2 to 8.5 percent.

The statewide figure was a seasonally adjusted 7.6 percent in September, the Washington State Employment Security Department reported.

The statewide number is among the highest in the nation, but it still falls behind Oregon, which posted a seasonally adjusted rate of 8 percent in September. Nationally, unemployment is at 6.1 percent.

“The national ‘jobless recovery’ has yet to trickle down to Snohomish County,” said Donna Thompson, a labor economist for the department who studies the county. “Not only are there no signs of a recovery, the county continues to lose jobs.”

Snohomish County lost 400 jobs between August and September, mostly because of losses in manufacturing.

The Boeing Co. and other aerospace companies continued their layoffs, cutting 400 workers in September. There were also cutbacks in wholesale trade, food processing and at food and beverage stores.

Retail was flat, but back-to-school shopping at general merchandise stores boosted the number of jobs there.

Thompson noted that during a period when returning school employees help add jobs, the Marysville teachers strike meant that not as many back-to-school jobs were tallied this fall.

“Local education posted a gain of 200 over the month as the school year got under way,” she said. “This total remains down by 800 over the year partially due to the ripple effects of the Marysville teacher strike.”

Thompson explained that the striking teachers, whose salaries are spread out over the year, weren’t included in the unemployment numbers. But the empty schools have affected many other workers.

The jobless rate means that of an estimated labor force of 341,000 in the county in September, 312,000 were working and 28,100 were receiving an unemployment check.

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