Grant County jobs up over previous year

MOSES LAKE - Grant County's nonfarm employers supplied more jobs in November than they did in November 2013, according to the latest state Employment Security Department report.

There were 28,560 nonfarm jobs in November, an increase of 1,200 job and 4.4 percent from the 27,360 nonfarm jobs tallied in November 2013. According to the report, the county's economy has posted year-over-year employment gains for the past 26 months (from October 2012 through November 2014.)

Driving the most recent increase were job gains in the area's manufacturing sector. The industry increased by 8.4 percent between the Novembers of 2013 and 2014, according to the data.

Employers recorded 4,500 jobs in November 2013 and 4,880 this last November. A majority of those jobs were at durable goods manufacturing companies - in fact, 300 of the 380 new jobs were in that sector.

That represents a 15.5 percent expansion for durable goods manufacturing between the two Novembers.

The remaining 80 jobs were in the non-durable goods sector, according to the report.

The county's leisure and hospitality industry, primarily hotels and restaurants, also posted significant year-over-year gains between November 2013 and November 2014. According to the data, there were 300 more leisure and hospitality jobs this last November than the previous November - a 13.5 percent expansion.

The industry has posted year-over-year gains for the last six months. Statewide, the industry has been growing for the past four years.

The transportation, warehousing and utilities industry did decrease between the two Novembers, however, economists attribute some of the decline to the West Coast ports labor dispute and work slowdown. The sector lost 70 jobs (a 7.1 percent decrease) between November 2013 and November 2014, according to the report.

Grant County's unemployment rate in November was 8.5 percent, down three-tenths of a percentage point from November 2013 when the rate was 8.8 percent.

It's, "a step in the right direction for the local economy," read the report. The last time the November unemployment rate was this low in Grant County was six years ago, when the rate was 7.1 percent.

The November unemployment rate in neighboring Adams County was 8.8 percent. Washington's unemployment rate was 6.1 percent, according to the report.

December employment data will be released later this month.