WA Jobless Numbers Jump to 9.3%

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Story Published: Oct 13, 2009 at 6:48 PM PDT

By Molly Kelleher

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OLYMPIA (AP) - Washington's unemployment rate inched up
to 9.3 percent last month as the nation moves toward an expected
slow economic recovery.

September's seasonally adjusted jobless rate, reported Tuesday
by the state Employment Security Department, rose from a revised
August rate of 9 percent.

Nearly 313,000 people were unemployed and looking for work last
month. The state's pool of jobs has shrunk by 131,200 from a year
earlier, a decrease of 4.4 percent.

Washington's unemployment rate remains lower than the national
figure, which was 9.8 percent in September. A year ago, the state's
unemployment rate was 5.5 percent.

State economic forecasters expect Washington's jobless rate to
peak at 9.8 percent in March or April 2010.

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