Strong State Employment but Warning Lights are Flashing

The good news is Washington is separating itself from the national jobless rate. In July, an average 6.2 percent of Americans were looking for work, while Washington State’s unemployment rate dropped to 5.6 percent.

The state added an estimated 7,300 jobs in July, and June’s report of 9,100 new jobs was revised upward to 13,600 jobs. The Seattle-Bellevue-Everett area boasts our state’s lowest jobless rate at 4.7 percent.

Even so, warning lights are flashing.

Counties in northeast and southwest Washington continue to struggle with unemployment rates as high as 8.5 percent. In fact, one-third of...