The Employment Security Department (ESD) recently reported that Washington added more than 12,000 jobs in April, with the vast majority of these jobs coming from private sector employers. ESD’s Economist, Paul Turek, commented, “Employers are continuing to hire at an impressively strong pace. The current pace of job growth is surprising given how tight the labor market is.”

Washington’s unemployment rate has dipped to 4.1%, slightly higher than the national 3.6% unemployment rate.

ESD also reported:

• A further decline of more than 10,000 people from the unemployment insurance system, continuing the positive trend since the depths of the COVID pandemic. There are about 44,000 people collecting unemployment insurance benefits today.
• Three industry sectors have led the gain in year over year employment: Leisure and hospitality (+57,600 jobs), Professional and business services (+40,200 jobs), and Education and health services (+18,100 jobs)
• Employment in retail trade is up by 7,500 over the past year.

Find ESD’s full Monthly Employment Report here.