Grant County's nonfarm employers provided 1,010 fewer jobs in 2016
MOSES LAKE — According to a Grant County Labor Area Summary, nonfarm industry employment preliminary estimates show Grant County’s nonfarm employers provided 1,010 fewer jobs in September 2016 than in September 2015 — a downturn of 3.4 percent.
Nonfarm employment has declined, year over year, for the past 12 months (October 2015 through September 2016). This September employers provided 28,740 jobs from the 29,750 recorded in September 2015.
Employment Security Department report also states Grant County’s Civilian Labor Force (CLF) has registered year-over-year losses for the past 13 months (September 2015 through September 2016). Between the Septembers of 2015 and 2016 the CLF shrank from 47,047 residents to 45,922.
In other words, there were 1,125 fewer residents in the local labor force and the number of unemployed rose from 2,489 to 2,585. The statistics indicate 96 more Grant County residents were out of work this September than in September 2015.
With the declining workforce, combined with more residents out of work caused the county’s unemployment rate to rise three-tenths of a point between the Septembers of 2015 and 2016.
This comes on the heels of the REC Silicon facility in Moses Lake laying off an estimated 70 employees last week.
REC Silicon cited the ongoing trade war with China and access to the world’s biggest consumer of polysilicon as the main reason behind the reduction in workforce. REC Silicon’s major client for the polysilicon produced at this Moses Lake plant is in mainland China.
“The Moses Lake facility is a world-class facility and we can compete with anybody in the world because of the technology we use. Really, this is about access to all markets,” Director of Investor Relations and Global Sourcing Chris Bowes said. “We don’t have access to the Chinese market because of the trade war and that has essentially shut us out. So it is imperative to get that resolved.”
According to the Labor Area Summary:
— Professional and business services in Grant County, which consists of industries ranging from computer systems design and accounting/tax preparation services to management services, legal services and temporary employment services provided 2,000 jobs in September 2015 but only 1,310 in September 2016 — a 690 job and 34.5 percent downturn.
— Statewide, professional and business services has expanded for 77 months (from May 2010 through September 2016). Leisure and hospitality (primarily hotels and restaurants) was the industry that added the most jobs to the Grant County this past September.
— The number of part- and full-time jobs at local leisure and hospitality businesses advanced from 2,500 in September 2015 to 2,700 this September, a 200 job and 8.0 percent upturn. This industry has been expanding for the past eleven consecutive months.
— The number of jobs in Grant County's durable goods manufacturing industry has declined, year over year, for the past eleven months (November 2015 through September 2016). Between the Septembers of 2015 and 2016, durable goods manufacturing fell 21.4 percent, a 510 job downturn (from 2,380 to 1,870 jobs) – dismal economic news for the local economy.
— Between the Septembers of 2015 and 2016 the rate dipped one-tenth point, from 5.2 to 5.1 percent. In Grant County, the average annual unemployment rate decreased three-tenths of a percentage point between 2014 and 2015, from 7.4 to 7.1 percent.
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