Ten days, 18 companies, 3,800 layoffs. These Washington industries were hit the hardest.
As initial unemployment claims continue to surge, 18 more companies reported more than 3,800 layoffs in Washington state so far since March 31.
YMCA of Greater Seattle made up more than half of that, reporting 2,222 temporary layoffs to the state Employment Security Department (ESD) April 7 as it closed all its branches amid the crisis.
There were 170,063 new unemployment claims in Washington the week ending April 4, according to the ESD. That was down slightly compared to the week prior, but still marked a 2,627 percent increase from the same week in 2019. The state’s ESD has disbursed close to $150 million in unemployment benefits since the first COVID-related job losses mid-March.
Despite the slight decrease, Washington ESD regional economist Anneliese Vance-Sherman said the state economy hasn't turned a corner yet. Rather, the fluctuations in unemployment numbers show in real-time the effect of government-mandated closures of businesses, schools and ultimately all non-essential activities.
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