A year after posting its lowest unemployment numbers on record, the jobless rate in Lewis County spiked to 16.3 percent in April as restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19 rocked local economies across the state, according to the latest data from the Employment Security Department.
The county had a civilian labor force of 37,334 with 31,252 employed and 6,082 unemployed, according to the state.
Lewis County’s unemployment rate was at 6.3 percent in February and 6.1 percent in March.
Neighboring counties haven’t fared any better.
The unemployment rate for Grays Harbor in April was 19.4 percent. It was 14.9 percent in Thurston County, 15.7 percent in Cowlitz County, 17 percent in Pacific County, 13.9 percent in Yakima County, 18.2 percent in Pierce County, 14.4 percent in Skamania County and 13.2 percent in Wahkiakum County.
Overall, Washington’s economy decreased by 527,000 jobs in March putting the unemployment rate at 15.5 percent.
It’s unclear what impact fraudulent claims have had on county unemployment rates. The Employment Security Department reported this month that “hundreds of millions of dollars” in claims had been paid out through fraudulent claims, many of which originated in Nigeria.
