Washington ranked 13th in improved unemployment claims

(The Center Square) – Based on the change in unemployment claims from last week to this week, Washington state ranks 13th in the nation for fastest recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

That’s according to a report from personal finance website WalletHub, which compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia by measuring unemployment claim changes for several key weeks.

Thursday’s updated rankings contained more good news for Washington state as it emerges the economic tumult of the pandemic.

“Washington is the state with the eighth biggest unemployment recovery since the start of the pandemic, with a drop in claims of almost 85%,” said WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzalez. “Washington’s unemployment claims are also lower by almost 32% compared to pre-pandemic levels, and have dropped by 73% compared to the same time last year.”

Some 6,300 nonfarm jobs were added to Washington state’s economy in October, with the seasonally-adjusted monthly unemployment rate falling slightly to 5%, according to the state’s Employment Security Department

Washington fared better in the rankings than its closest neighboring states. To the south, Oregon came in at No. 31 in terms of states recovered most since last week and No. 46 in terms of recovered most since the start of the pandemic. To the east, Idaho ranked No. 15 and 37, respectively.

The report noted that every state had unemployment claims last week better than the same week last year. Also, most states had unemployment claims last week that were lower than before the pandemic, with the exception of a dozen states: Florida, Minnesota, Alabama, Wisconsin, California, Michigan, Tennessee, Hawaii, Alaska, North Carolina, Indiana, and New Mexico.

The latest version of coronavirus could still have a negative impact on future job numbers, Gonzales warned.

“The omicron coronavirus variant is creating uncertainty in everything from consumer habits to the labor market. This uncertainty is not a good thing for unemployment,” she said in a press release accompanying the report. “The new variant is keeping people who would otherwise return to work at home due to public health fears. Vaccine boosters have also become harder and harder to come by in the past weeks, isn’t helping those who might be willing to come back to work.”

The most recovered states since last week:

1. Georgia

2. Nebraska

3. Kentucky

4. Kansas

5. South Carolina

The least recovered states since last week:

1. North Carolina

2. New Mexico

3. Tennessee

4. Alaska

5. Indiana

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