Lewis County's unemployment rate improved 0.6 percent in the past month.
Numbers recently released by the Washington State Employment Security Department show unemployment numbers in Lewis County have decreased by 0.6 percent from March’s numbers.
For the month of April, Lewis County shows an 8.2 percent unemployment rate, down from an 8.8 percent rate in 2014, and a 10.9 percent rate in 2013.
The labor force in the county, or the amount of people eligible to work, decreased by 540 people from March to April.
The total amount of unemployed in the county for April was 2,530, a decrease from March’s 2,770 unemployed. In all, 28,280 people were employed in the county for the month of April.
In January of this year, the unemployment rate for the county was 10.3 percent. Regional Labor Economist Jim Vleming said he expects the number to continually improve throughout the summer months. Typically the lowest unemployment numbers can be found in either July or August, he said.
“During the winter months we certainly have higher unemployment rates,” he said, adding the seasonal decline is typical because economic activity is greater when the days are longer and the weather is better.
Grays Harbor County saw a 8.8 percent unemployment rate for the month of April, while Thurston County had a 5.6 percent rate.
Although the numbers for Lewis County have slightly improved, the area remains far behind the statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 5.5 percent.
Vleming said the higher rate was a “product of the county,” as rural areas do not have the same opportunities to add to employment numbers as urban areas do.
The numbers showed nothing surprising from an economic standpoint.
“I think if we look at the numbers we’re pretty much on track,” Vleming said. “… This is typically what we see seasonally.”
