County unemployment declines in May
The Grant County unemployment rate decreased two-tenths of a point between the Mays of 2015 and 2016.
YAKIMA — Grant County’s unemployment dropped between April and May, and between May 2015 and May 2016, according to information from the Washington Employment Security Department.
Unemployment in Grant County was 6.5 percent in May, down from 7.3 percent in April. That followed the county’s traditional trend, with unemployment dropping during the summer and rising during the winter. The May 2016 figure was two-tenths of 1 percent lower than May 2015.
The number of people in the labor force dropped between May 2015 and May 2016, but “the number of unemployed fell more rapidly,” said Don Meseck, regional labor economist for WESD.
But while unemployment has dropped, the county is producing fewer non-farm jobs in 2016 than it did in 2014, Meseck explained. The county produced 300 new nonfarm jobs in 2015, an increase of 1 percent over 2014, “considerably less robust than the 3.9 percent growth rate and 1,080 new jobs generated in 2014,” he wrote.
“More concerning news for the local economy: nonfarm employment has declined, year over year, for the past eight months, October 2015 through May 2016. This May employers in Grant County provided 29,040 jobs, a 570-job and 1.9 percent decrease from May 2015.”
The county’s labor force “expanded by 1.4 percent in 2015 and on a monthly basis it had increased 14 consecutive months between May 2014 and June 2015. However, this growth occurred primarily during the first half of 2015,” Meseck wrote. The county’s civilian labor force “has registered year-over-year losses for the past nine months, September 2015 through May 2016.”
The number of people in the labor force dropped between May 2015 and May 2016. But the number of unemployed decreased at a faster rate.
Mining, logging and construction are combined in one category, but most jobs in that category in Grant County are in construction. “The local construction industry has been registering year-over-year employment losses for the past 13 months,” Meseck wrote. The county lost 30 jobs, 2.5 percent, in that category between May 2015 and May 2016.
The number of jobs in durable good manufacturing has dropped for the last seven months. The durable goods manufacturing sector lost 250 jobs, 10.5 percent, between May 2015 and May 2016. But non-durable goods manufacturing (mostly food processors) grew by 410 jobs, 16.3 percent, between May 2015 and May 2016, according to Meseck.
The “professional and business services” sector lost jobs in the last eight months. “Professional and business services is the umbrella industry of businesses that support other businesses,” he explained. That sector lost 40 jobs between April and May, and has been losing jobs for eight months.
The leisure and hospitality sector added 230 jobs in April. Hiring for the state and federal government also increased slightly.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.