See what’s taming the Tri-Cities cold weather job slump

Credit a jump in jobs associated with the Hanford cleanup for keeping the Tri-City economy humming in November.

The Mid-Columbia economy typically cools with the temperatures as construction and some food processing taper off.

The local unemployment rate rose to 5.2 percent in November, up eight-tenths from October, though slightly below a year ago, according to figures released Thursday by the Washington Employment Department.

But the worsening employment picture isn’t so bad, said Ajsa Suljic, regional labor economist.

The past month saw the lowest unemployment rate for the month of November since 2015, when it peaked at 7 percent before trending downward.

“This November came in better than last year,” she said.

The local workforce totaled nearly1 41,000 people in November, including 133,374 with jobs and 7,348 who were looking for work, said the state.

The number of workers and the number of job holders were both up 2 percent from a year ago, reflecting population and economic growth for the region.

The local population grew to nearly 291,000 in 2017, a five-year increase of more than 8 percent, according to the most recent Census Bureau figures.

Seasonal slowdown or not, most sectors are adding jobs, from retail and hotel work to banking services, construction and manufacturing.

The biggest gains were posted in “administrative and support services,” the category that covers the U.S. Department of Energy’s cleanup of the Hanford nuclear reservation.

Hanford ended November with 12,400 jobs, a gain of 1,300 positions over the year.

The $2.4 billion approved for the current federal fiscal year funds a wide range of activities, from tank farms to development of the Waste Treatment Plant, aka the vit plant.

Leisure and hospitality, including both food service and the hotel industry, gained 600 jobs, pushing the payroll to about 11,900.

Of those, 8,900 were in the restaurant industry, a gain of 400 positions over the year.

Construction, always a jobs engine for the region, remained a strong performer even as work shifted indoors. The industry employed 9,200 in November, 300 more than the prior year.

The retail sector added 200 jobs for a total of 14,000 as did the financial sector, which gained 200 jobs, for a total of 4,100.

Suljic said the financial sector is benefiting from growing interest in the Tri-Cities from credit unions.

STCU, a Spokane credit union, made a big splash in the Tri-Cities in 2018 when it opened a branch in Kennewick and made plans for Richland and Pasco outlets.

Local, state and federal government employed 20,300, consistent with 2017.

Local government, a category that includes school employees, grew by 200 positions to 16,000.

The state unemployment rate was 4.4 percent, down from a year ago bout four-tenths of a point above October.

Elsewhere in Washington: Bellingham, 4.6 percent, Bremerton, 4.5 percent, Clark County, 4.6 percent, Longview, 5.6 percent, Seattle Metro, 3.6 percent, Spokane, 4.9 percent, Spokane Valley, 5.1 percent, Walla Walla, 4.3 percent, Wenatchee, 4.9 percent, Yakima , 6.4 percent.