County’s Unemployment Rate Drops – Local Sectors Show Strength

Yakima County’s jobless rate is moving in the right direction bucking state and national trends.  While Washington State’s unemployment rate came in at 9.2 percent in June, Yakima County’s came in at 8.2 %.   This is the first time in over 20 years that the region’s unemployment rate is lower than the state’s.

 

“With the bumper cherry crop leading the way, (agriculture) has not been affected (by the recession)”, said Doug Tweedy, regional economist for state Employment Security.

 

“This just confirms the recent media that Business Week and Manpower, Inc published about Yakima County’s entrepreneurial opportunities and strong local job market, respectively, are true”, says Lisa Pearl Smith, business development director for Yakima County Development Association.  “Our strong agricultural and healthcare sectors have both added jobs this past year.  This has provided welcomed stability to our local economy at a time when many regions across the U.S. are experiencing tough times.”

 

According to Business Week Yakima County ranks 4^th in the nation for one of the best places to start a new career and in March, 2009 Manpower, Inc ranked the county #1 in job growth for the second quarter of 2009.