OLYMPIA — Washington state’s unemployment rate dropped to 7.3 percent in March, the lowest rate in more than four years, but the state still saw a net loss of 5,500 jobs from the prior month, according to numbers released Wednesday.
The state’s jobless rate had been at 7.5 percent for three months, but with the newest dip, it’s the lowest rate since December 2008, according to the state Employment Security Department. Earlier this year, state economists had reported that new numbers showed the state gained 24,200 jobs for the month of January and 5,500 for the month of February.
“We’ve seen a lot of volatility in the job-survey results, but the trend over the past year shows we’re gaining jobs,” Anneliese Vance-Sherman, a labor economist with Employment Security, said in a written statement. “The unemployment-rate survey has been more stable, showing a slow but steady drop in the unemployment rate.”
In March 2012, the state’s unemployment rate was 8.4 percent. Since then, Washington has gained a total of 53,000 jobs.