Overall unemployment rate moved down to 3.3% with the biggest shift in Restaurants & Hotels, which lost 4,700 roles, based on the most recently available information published in November 2022.
Total employment in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA market rose by 19,473 jobs in September and the unemployment rate decreased compared to the prior month by 20 bps to 3.3%. The national unemployment rate decreased by 47 bps over the same time to 3.3%.
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA unemployment rate is 2 bps below the national rate which is a positive sign.
- Unemployment in the market is 100 bps below the unemployment rate in the market last year at this time, which is a positive.
- Average wages (per hour) grew in September versus prior month by 2.4% and are up compared to last year at this time in the market.
For key employment segments of the market, total jobs declined by -0.1%. Key sectors include:
- Transportation & Utilities: 414,000; -700
- Business Services: 328,800; -1,900
- Education & Healthcare: 282,800; +1,400
- Government: 265,200; +600
- Restaurants & Hotels: 190,200; -4,700
- Manufacturing: 166,200; +400
- IT & Development: 160,800; +3,400
- Construction, Mining: 141,800; -500
- Financial Services: 106,000; +500
- Other Jobs: 69,500; -600
Data is based on the most recent 12 months available, through September 2022 (Data published November 2022 and reports created on November 2, 2022). Source: Government data agency and locally acquired statistics.
Note: All reported data is not seasonally adjusted.