Lewis County continued to see improvement in its unemployment rate in October, though those gains could potentially be erased following a fresh round of restrictions ordered by Gov. Jay Inslee last month.
According to the state Employment Security Department, Lewis County had a 6.3 percent unemployment rate in October.
That’s a significant decline when compared to April, when the rate skyrocketed to 16.3 percent following a range of restrictions that shuttered many businesses and placed heavy restrictions on others. The unemployment rate has been improving ever since, but last month Inslee announced new restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19 that will likely also slow the recovery of the state’s economy.
The October number represented an almost complete return to pre-pandemic employment as the rate was 6.3 percent in February and 6.1 percent in March.
According to ESD, Lewis County has a civilian labor workforce of 36,306. Of those workers, 34,008 were employed and 2,298 were jobless in October.
Washington’s economy added 1,000 jobs in October for an overall state unemployment rate of 6 percent.
Neighboring counties also saw declines in unemployment, with Thurston County reporting a 5.7 percent rate, Grays Harbor County at 8.6 percent, Pacific County at 8.1 percent, Cowlitz at 6.9 percent and Pierce County at 6.9 percent.
To view more job data online, visit https://esd.wa.gov/labormarketinfo/monthly-employment-report.
