Economist: Grant County 'healthy, growing'

GRANT COUNTY - An area regional labor economist is reporting a "healthy and growing" economy in Grant County based on April employment numbers.

In his report, Wenatchee regional labor economist Tihamiyou Baba-Moussa said the nonfarm wage and salary employment expanded at a 3.8 percent annual rate between April 2007 and April 2008, three-tenths of a percentage point above last April's growth rate and more than twice the statewide growth rate of 1.6 percent in April 2008.

"I think we are doing not only really, really well but we are doing much better than many different regions in the state," Baba-Moussa said. "If you compare our numbers with the statewide numbers, not only have we outperformed the state, but if you go back and look at the different industry sectors, we actually have done better than the state numbers."

Total nonfarm employment increased to 27,550, up by 1,000 paychecks, Baba-Moussa reported, as the goods producing and services providing industries outperformed statewide numbers with their pace of growth.

Baba-Moussa's report showed Grant County's goods producing sector, including natural resources, mining, construction and manufacturing, added 420 paychecks over the year, an increase of 7.5 percent, while the services providing industries grew by 600 jobs, or 2.9 percent.

Total Grant County private employment rose by 720 jobs from April 2007 to April 2008, reaching 19,880. The 710-job increase, a 3.7 percent growth rate from the year before, followed an 890 job increase, or 4.9 percent in 2007 and a 940 job increase, or 5.4 percent in 2006.

Other numbers reported by Baba-Moussa:

The state posted a growth rate of 3.4 percent in 2006, 3.1 percent in 2007 and 1.7 percent in 2008.

The government sector in Grant County posted an increase of 290 jobs from April 2007 to April 2008, a 3.9 percent increase. Over the month, employment grew by 40 jobs, or 0.5 percent, following a 60-job increase in March 2008. The state grew by one-tenth of a percentage point in both March and April.

The trade, transportation and utilities category outperformed the state for the second straight year in April 2007 and April 2008, with 130 new jobs and a 2.5 percent growth rate. The state posted a 2.3 and 0.5 percent growth rate in April 2007 and April 2008, respectively. Over the month, county employment increased by 40 jobs.

Employment in information and financial activities employment posted no change and remained at 1,030, just as in April 2007. Between March and April 2008, employment went up by 10 paychecks, or 1 percent. The state employment in the sector has declined since April 2007.

In Grant County, there were 2,350 residents out of work in April 2008, of a total labor force of 39,900. That number is up 200 from the previous over-the-year unemployed residents of 2,150 in April 2007.

The jobless rate rose to 5.9 percent, up three-tenths of a percentage point from 5.6 percent over a year ago. The current unemployment rate is the second lowest in Grant County since 1990.

Between March 2008 and April 2008, the unemployment rate declined from the March rate of 7.3 percent by one and four-tenths percentage points to 5.9 percent in April.

"It's not easy to put a straightforward meaning on the unemployment rate," Baba-Moussa said. "You cannot focus only on the unemployment to judge, you have to take the whole picture, and part of the picture, you should also add how we are doing as far as employment creation is concerned."

Statewide, the unemployment rate increased three tenths of a percentage point from 4.3 percent in April 2007.