Jobless rate in Washington increased to 5.1% in March
By Rachel La Corte / Associated Press
OLYMPIA — Washington’s unemployment rate increased to 5.1% last month and the state’s economy lost more than 11,000 jobs, though officials noted that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the workforce isn’t likely to be fully reflected until the April report is released next month.
March’s rate jumped from 3.8% in February, according to numbers released Wednesday by the Employment Security Department. The rate for April could be even higher since the widespread closing of restaurants and other businesses didn’t occur until mid-March.
“As a result, even if some firms started laying off workers as early as the second week of March, many still would have worked or received pay for at least part of the payroll period including the 12th, and thus their loss of employment is not yet fully reflected in the March report,” Paul Turek, economist for the department, said in a statement.
Washington state’s stay-at-home order, which has already been extended once, is currently in place through May 4, though Gov. Jay Inslee has warned that it is possible the order may have to be extended once again.
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