Lewis County and all of its neighbors saw a slight increase in unemployment rates in August, according to the most recent report by the state Employment Security Department (ESD).
The county’s unemployment rate increased from 5.2% to 5.5%, mirroring small increases in Cowlitz, Wahkiakum, Pacific, Grays Harbor, Thurston, Pierce, Yakima, Skamania and Clark counties.
Washington state’s average unemployment rate, on the other hand, remained stagnant at 5.1%. That’s one percentage point higher than August 2019 levels.
According to the report, the state gained approximately 16,800 non-farm jobs in August, seasonally adjusted. Those were mostly in leisure and hospitality. Government, professional and business services, manufacturing, transportation, warehousing and utilities also saw increases in the thousands.
Retail and construction saw the biggest job losses.
More information is available online at esd.wa.gov.
