More jobs, people in Grant County
Lynne Lynch/Columbia Basin Herald<br> The Moses Lake Lowe's was among new employers in the services providing sector last year, adding an estimated 110 jobs. Moses Lake Mayor Ron Covey cuts a board during Lowe's grand opening ceremony. Bill Hawes, Lowe's operations manager, and Brian Bruley, Lowe's store manager, hold the board at each end.
GRANT COUNTY — From March 2008 to March 2009, Grant County jobs increased by 500 workers, or 1.9 percent, possibly because of two emerging data centers and a new Lowe’s store.
But the unemployment rate was higher at 11.9 percent, which is a 5 percent increase from March 2008’s rate of 6.9 percent, according to T. Baba Moussa, a regional labor economist with the state Employment Security Department.
March layoffs include 21 workers at wind tower manufacturer Katana Summit in Ephrata.
New employers, added since last year, in the service providing sector include Lowe’s and Walgreens stores in Moses Lake, said Jon Smith, research and communications manager with the Grant County Economic Development Council.
One hundred ten new employees were hired at Lowe’s in October.
It was expected Walgreen’s would fill 16.5 positions when fully staffed this month.
The additions of data centers Yahoo! and Intuit in Quincy could be influential in the 4.8 percent annual job increase of 50 jobs in the information and financial activities sector, Smith said.
Intuit started construction near Quincy in 2007 and is finishing final work.
About this time in 2008, Yahoo! held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new data center near Quincy.
The area’s food processors aren’t hit as hard during the economic downturn, so they’re able to grow and do well now, said Smith.
And while there’s only an increase of 20 workers in the goods producing sector, it shows the economy has grown due to other layoffs in that area, he explained.
Other growth areas from last March include the government sector with 170 more employees, or a 2.2 percent increase.
Growth in the trade, transportation and utilities sector climbed by 240 jobs, or 4.5 percent over the past year.
The county has shown population growth from 2007 to 2008, which is possible reflection of additional workers.
Grant County was the fastest growing micropolitan in the state in 2008, with an increase of 2,100 people to a total of 84,600, according to the state Office of Financial Management (OFM).
OFM looked at Grant County’s population growth from 2007 to 2008.
A micropolitan is a population located separately from a big city.
Since the 2000 census, Grant County’s population increased by 13 percent.