Double digit unemployment first in SnoCo

Unemployment in Snohomish County reached double digits in June for the first time since 1984.

At 10.1 percent, a total of 38,850 residents did not have a job. In comparison, the state's average unemployment rate was almost a full percentage point lower, at 9.2 percent.

During the last major recession, unemployment peaked at an annual average of 11.8 percent in 1982, said Donna Thompson, regional labor economist for Snohomish County.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate in Island County slightly increased to 8.7 percent. The rate has fluctuated lately, with a high of 9 percent in March, said Joe Giannamore, Island County regional economist.

Last month, 31,150 Island County residents were employed, and 2,960 were actively looking for work.

There is typically a lower unemployment rate in the county around this time each year due to tourism and construction, Giannamore said. Still, June had a much higher unemployment rate compared to 5.5 percent in June 2008.

In the last six months, the county rate has been above the state's rate three of those months, and the same during one, Thompson said.

Part of the reason that Snohomish County has a higher unemployment rate than the state is that the county has a larger than-average housing sector, Thompson said. About 133,000 county residents commute to work in King County.

"The county basically got overbuilt," she said.

During the last year, the county has lost 11,000 jobs. However, aerospace has remained steady, with cuts from Boeing still to come, Thompson said.

Where the county has experienced significant job loss is in construction, she said. Construction decreased from its alltime high of 26,200 jobs in August 2007 to 22,900 in June, a loss of 7,600 jobs in two years.

Professional business services, including architecture, engineering and temporary employment agencies, lost 2,500 jobs in the last year.

The only two industries that have held their own so far are health care and public education, Thompson said. The aging population of baby boomers has pushed up the demand for health care.

In Island County, there isn't an industry that has increased, Giannamore said. Only government jobs have experienced growth over the last year. Still, government jobs decreased in June. Overall, the county has lost 320 jobs.

Giannamore expects the unemployment rate in Island County will stay flat for a couple months and increase before the end of the year.

Last month, 21,692 Snohomish County residents collected unemployment, compared to only 7,216 in June 2008, Thompson said. In Island County, 1,185 residents received benefits, more than double the amount a year ago, Giannamore said.

The increase in unemployment rates is not unexpected as the nation is in the midst of a recession, he said.

It won't be until the beginning of next year that the county might see job growth, he said.

The economy has not started to turn around yet, Thompson said. Boeing has upcoming layoffs and the housing market has yet to significantly improve.

"Let's hope it doesn't jump up another point," Thompson said.

The Stanwood-Camano Food Bank has not seen a large growth in numbers of families it serves. It tends to assist 350 to 400 families each month, said Jeanie Ovenell, food bank executive director.

However, more of those families have been new, and some are becoming larger as families double up, Ovenell said. Likely, the food bank is serving more individuals than it did previously.

Fortunately, donations have kept up with the need, she said. The food bank has received quite a bit of fresh produce from people's gardens.

Growing Forward Gardens, a project of the Stanwood Camano Community Resource Center, has donated more than 150 pounds of produce to the food bank so far this year, said Christie Connors, resource center executive director.

Still, the food bank needsdonations of meat, Ovenell said. People who live in the Stanwood-Camano School District's boundaries can come in once a month to receive food, Ovenell said.

"We would never turn down anybody," she said.

The Stanwood-Camano Food Bank is open Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.