State unemployment rate holds at nine percent
The unemployment rate in Spokane County fell to 8.2 percent in September as employers added another 1,220 workers.
Employment in the county has increased by more than 2,000 since September 2009.
The improving employment picture locally, the rate was 8.8 percent in August, contrasts with that for Washington as a whole.
Figures released today by the Employment Security Department show an increase in unemployment as private-sector hiring failed to offset layoffs among government workers.
The unemployment rate held steady at nine percent, lower than the 9.6 percent rate for the United States.
Businesses added 1,000 workers, but 4,200 public-sector workers lost their jobs.
