More angst for the economic mill in Washington state this morning.
According to the Employment Security Department, Washington's jobless rate climbed to 9.2 percent in March, up from the revised 8.3 percent reported in February. By comparison, Oregon's rate jumped to 12.1 percent in March.
Among the ESD's findings:
- An estimated 344,069 people (not seasonally adjusted) in Washington were unemployed and looking for work in March.
- The state lost an estimated 20,000 non-agricultural jobs last month, seasonally adjusted.
- The state lost 99,100 jobs from March 2008 to March 2009, a 3.3 percent decrease.
- Only the education and health-services sector (up 1.3 percent) and government services (up 0.8 percent) added jobs in the past 12 months.
- Nationally, employment declined by 3.5 percent over the past year.
Despite the sour news, some companies are finding ways to cut costs and keep the doors open without layoffs. The upcoming spring issue of Washington Business magazine will examine some of these companies and find out how they're making ends meet in this tough economy.
