New jobless claims drop for third consecutive week in Spokane County

Fewer and fewer applicants are filing new jobless claims in Spokane County as applications dropped for the third consecutive week, according to the Washington state Employment Security Department.

Laid-off workers in Spokane County filed 607 new unemployment claims the week ending June 5, compared with 629 claims filed the week before, the department reported Thursday.

New unemployment claims in the state fell to 8,868 in the week ending June 5, a 12.1% drop compared with 11,666 claims the week before.

A reduction in layoffs in retail trade, accommodation and food services and construction sectors contributed to the decrease in new jobless claims last week, according to the ESD.

Continued claims in all unemployment categories slightly increased 1.2%, with 386,317 applications filed during the week ending June 5.The ESD paid more than $220 million in benefits last week.