Unemployment in Washington inched down to 4.4 percent in September, its lowest point in 42 years.
That is still higher than the national rate of 3.7 percent in September, but the job market here is as tight as it’s been in a generation as retailers in particular ramp up hiring ahead of the shopping season. Retail trade saw the strongest job gains in September, with employment in the sector up 2,100.
The state unemployment rate was 4.5 percent in August and 4.7 percent a year ago.
In the Seattle-Bellevue-Everett metro area, the September unemployment rate was 3.4 percent, compared with 3.5 percent the previous month and 3.9 percent a year earlier.
Washington’s workforce stood at about 3.77 million people in September, up from 3.75 million a year ago.
