The Northwest Public Affairs Network is a Washington nonprofit corporation.


© 2024 Northwest News Network
Regional Journalism
Dispatches from public radio's correspondent at the Washington Legislature. Austin Jenkins is the Olympia correspondent for the Northwest News Network. You can also see Austin on television as host of TVW's (the C–SPAN of Washington State) weekly public affairs program "Inside Olympia."

Washington Recoups Great Recession Job Losses, With Caveat

Andreas Klinke Johannsen
/
Flickr

It took four years, but Washington has now recovered more jobs than it lost during the Great Recession.

But that announcement comes with a caveat.

Paul Turek, a labor economist with Washington’s Employment Security Department, says it turns out the number of jobs lost during the recession was actually fewer than previously estimated.

“This means that the state employment recession was not as deep as originally estimated.”

Washington’s unemployment rate for January was 6.4 percent -- the lowest since the fall of 2008. Despite the jobs recovery, more than 200,000 Washingtonians are still out of work and looking for a job.

Oregon and Idaho are not yet back to pre-recession job levels. Idaho projects it will reach that point in May or June of next year.

Since January 2004, Austin Jenkins has been the Olympia-based political reporter for the Northwest News Network. In that position, Austin covers Northwest politics and public policy, as well as the Washington State Legislature. You can also see Austin on television as host of TVW's (the C–SPAN of Washington State) Emmy-nominated public affairs program "Inside Olympia."