Unemployment Dips Slightly in Washington

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By Chelsea Kopta

Summary

Unemployment numbers dropped in Washington, but just barely. The jobless rate dipped one-tenth of a percent, down to 9.1. Some say it might be a sign that the recession is slowing but times are still tough for many people in our area.

Story Published: Aug 18, 2009 at 5:18 PM PST

KENNEWICK -- For Melissa Kratz, job-hunting has become an almost daily ritual. She scans dozens of openings on her computer.

"There's not a lot on here," she notes.

...on any career site you can think of.

"Worksource, I'll go onto Career Builder, and Craigslist," she lists.

...for nearly any job.

"Anything office, retail, anything I can do," she said. "I'm not really particular about the job anymore."

Kratz was on the fast-track to becoming a manager at Joe's Sporting Goods. But when they closed their doors in May, it put her and more than 50 other employees out of work. Three months later, the store is still empty and Kratz is still out of a job.

"It sucks, it just really sucks," she said. "It's been really stressful and you feel like you're nothing."

Kratz said she's sent out at least 60 resumes and went on about 15 interviews with little success - and perhaps even more frustrating - few explanations why she hadn't been hired.

"I honestly don't know," Kratz said.

Unemployment was enough to pay her bills but she still moved in with friends to stay financially afloat.

"I don't pay rent anymore which is probably the only thing that saved me," Kratz said.

Unemployment numbers inched up just a fraction of a percent last month but the number of unemployed is still daunting. Kratz is one of about 315,853 people in Washington who were looking for work in July. That's more than the population of Tri Cities, Walla Walla, Hermiston and Pendleton combined.

"It's encouraging that it's moving in the right direction but .1 percent from last month doesn't mean a lot," WorkSource representative Candice Bleuchel said.

Bleuchel said retail is one of the three hardest hit industries in the Tri Cities, alongside construction and education. But there is some good news. Washington gained about 4000 non-agricultural jobs, offering some hope for Kratz.

"I keep getting told that I'll be okay and I know it will," she said. "it'll just be a matter of time."

To date, Washington has distributed nearly $200 million in state and federal stimulus funds to unemployed workers in the form of temporary benefit increases, on top of normal weekly unemployment benefits.

RESOURCES:

Job seekers can get help looking for work at Employment Security's affiliated WorkSource offices across the state, where a variety of employment services are offered, including free help with interviewing skills or résumés and with job referrals.

Locations of local WorkSource offices are listed online at www.go2worksource.com . Assistance also is available by phone at 877-872-5627.

In addition, nearly 13.000 current job openings are posted on www.go2worksource.com .

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