16,000 more jobs cut in state in September

The grim news for Washington working people continued last month as employers shed 16,000 more jobs, according to the latest report from the state Employment Security Department.

The state's unemployment rate rose to 9.3 percent, adjusted for seasonal variations, from 9 percent in August (which was revised down from the 9.2 percent initially reported).

Since February 2008, when state payrolls peaked at nearly 3 million jobs, Washington public and private employers have cut 145,400 jobs — a 4.9 percent drop in employment.

All told, 312,690 Washingtonians reported being out of work in September — about 136,000 more than said they lacked work a year earlier, as what had been a fairly modest recession suddenly took a deeper and darker turn.

In the Seattle metro area, the jobless rate held steady at 8.9 percent. Both the state and the metro area were better off than the nation as a whole: The U.S. unemployment rate for September was 9.8 percent.

(The unemployment rate is determined through a monthly survey — not, as is sometimes thought, by counting how many people are receiving unemployment benefits.)

The work force in local government educational services fell by a seasonally adjusted 5,100 jobs. Other local government payrolls shrank by 2,000 jobs.

In the private sector, restaurants and bars cut a seasonally adjusted 1,100 jobs. The finance and insurance sector lost 1,300 jobs, and food manufacturing fell by 1,200 jobs.

The few bright spots included real estate and rental leasing, and ambulatory health care services; both categories added 700 jobs in September. Employment services, a category that includes temp agencies and is often a harbinger of changing economic conditions, gained 500 jobs.

Drew DeSilver: 206-464-3145 or ddesilver@seattletimes.com.