Washington jobless rate falls for first time in three years

Published 10:19 am Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Washington’s unemployment rate fell in April for the first time in more than three years, backed by an increase of 5,800 jobs.

The rate went from 9.5 percent in March to 9.2 percent in April. The last time the unemployment rate declined was March 2007, when the rate moved from 4.5 percent to 4.4 percent, a record low in Washington. Since then, the rate has stayed the same or increased for 36 straight months.

With the April job gains, Washington has added jobs in three of the first four months of 2010, for a net gain of 14,800 jobs so far this year.

Industries that added jobs in April were leisure and hospitality, up 1,800; government, up 1,600 (mostly temporary census jobs); construction, up 1,400; retail trade, up 1,300; manufacturing, up 1,200; information, up 500; education and health services, up 300; and wholesale trade, up 100.

Jobs were lost in financial activities, down 1,400; transportation, warehousing and utilities, down 500; other services, down 300; and professional and business services, down 200.