Lewis County’s unemployment rate rose in August, rising 0.7% from July’s 4.7% to 5.4%, according to new data released by the Washington state Employment Security Department. Despite the increase in unemployment, Lewis County’s unemployment rate remains below June’s 5.6% unemployment rate.
The increase in the unemployment rate was driven by a boost in the number of unemployed individuals in Lewis County, while the number of employed people rose only slightly.
The number of unemployed workers increased by 274 people, from 1,650 in July to 1,924 people in August, an increase of about 16.61%.
At the same time, the number of employed individuals rose by 178 people, from 33,643 workers in July to 33,821 people in August, an increase of about 0.5%.
Elsewhere, Thurston, Pacific and Cowlitz counties all saw their unemployment rates rise by 0.7%, increasing from 3.7% to 4.4%, 5.9% to 6.6% and 4.6% to 5.3%, respectively. In Grays Harbor County, the unemployment rate increased 0.9%, rising from 5.6% to 6.5%. Wahkiakum County’s unemployment rate rose 0.8% from 5.6% to 6.4%. Despite increases in their unemployment rates, none of the listed counties had August unemployment rates above their June levels.
