Grant County unemployment rate shows improvement
The county's manufacturing sector was one of a few nonfarm industries that showed year-over-year job gains between this July and last July. The industry posted a 5.2 percent increase at the county level, according to the latest Employment Security Department report.
MOSES LAKE - Grant County had an unemployment rate of 5.6 percent in July, the lowest July rate recorded in six years.
According to the latest Employment Security Department report, the last time a July unemployment rate was this low in the county was in July 2008, when the rate was 5.3 percent.
July rates peaked in 2010, when the county had an 8.9 percent unemployment rate. Rates began to show year-over-year improvements after that year, going from 8.6 percent in July 2011 to 8.1 percent in July 2012 and then to 7.5 percent in July 2013.
The state had an unemployment rate of 5.4 percent this July, compared to 6.8 percent last July.
Nonfarm employment at the county level also showed improvement this July compared to last. This July, there were 29,110 nonfarm jobs in Grant County - a 1.8 percent and 520-job increase from the 28,950 jobs tallied last July.
"This July, nonfarm employment increased 1.8 percent since July 2013, a step in the right direction for Grant County following year over year losses in April, May and June 2014," read the report.
One of the nonfarm industries that showed year-over-year improvement between this July and last was the combined mining, logging and construction industry. Most jobs in this category are construction jobs however.
The industry increased by 10 percent, or about 120 jobs, between July 2013 and July 2014.
The county's manufacturing industry has been growing for the past nine months, from September 2013 to July 2014 when there were 5,290 jobs compared to last July when there were 5,030.
All of the year-over-year growth was in durable goods manufacturing.
Before this July, the state's manufacturing sector had been growing for 45 months. However, jobs in that industry dropped across the state by 0.1 percent between the Julys of 2013 and 2014.
Wholesale trade jobs rose by 13.8 percent this July compared to last, according to the report. There were 1,450 jobs in July 2013 compared to 1,650 jobs in July 2014.
The county's leisure and hospitality sector has been posting year-over-year job losses since this April. There were 290 less jobs in the industry this July than last, which represents a 10.9 percent contraction.
The report attributed a part of that to a decrease in visitors to the area because of the damaged Wanapum Dam and subsequent closure of the reservoir shoreline.
At the state level, the leisure and hospitality industry has been growing since October 2010.
The report also highlighted improvement in the county's civilian labor force, which has posted year-over-year losses in the first six months of this year despite a slight annual expansion between 2012 and 2013.
Between this July and last, the county's labor force increased from 45,130 to 45,840. One of the factors that contributed to the 710-person increase was this year's large cherry crop, which increased the need for agricultural labor, according to the report.
August employment figures and unemployment rates will be released later this month.