OLYMPIA, WA –  Washington’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.4% in March 2025, while the state experienced a seasonally adjusted loss of approximately 5,200 nonfarm jobs, according to the Washington Employment Security Department.

March marked the third consecutive month of employment decline in the state. Chief labor economist Anneliese Vance-Sherman noted the continued slowing of job growth and highlighted the impact of new federal government layoffs. Approximately 100 federal employees were affected, with the majority of government job losses occurring in state government and state education sectors.

Over the past 12 months, Washington gained an estimated 25,100 jobs — a 0.7% increase. Of those, 23,300 were in the private sector and 1,800 in government employment.

March Sector Changes:

The largest private sector job gains in March were in:

• Information (+1,600)

• Retail Trade (+1,400)

• Professional and Business Services (+800)

The largest job losses occurred in:

• Government (-4,100), including:

  • State government education (-3,400)

  • General state government (-600)

  • Federal government (-100)

• Construction (-1,300)

• Manufacturing (-1,300)

Unemployment insurance claims fell to 74,688 in March, a drop of 2,667 from the previous month. Decreases were observed in construction, agriculture, and administrative support and waste management services.

Labor Force Details:

Washington’s labor force decreased by 4,720 people from February to March, totaling 4,057,832 in March. The number of unemployed individuals statewide increased slightly from 176,850 to 177,378. In the Seattle/Bellevue/Everett area, unemployment rose from 96,279 to 99,008, while the labor force in that region grew by 3,269.

The national unemployment rate increased slightly from 4.1% in February to 4.2% in March. For comparison, the national rate in March 2024 was 3.9%.

Year-over-Year Trends:

Between March 2024 and March 2025 (not seasonally adjusted):

• Top gains occurred in:

  • Education and health services (+16,300), largely driven by ambulatory health care services (+7,800)

  • Information (+8,700)

  • Professional and business services (+6,100)

• Top losses occurred in:

  • Construction (-12,500), with specialty trade contractors accounting for 8,500 of the lost jobs

  • Manufacturing (-5,000)

The report also noted a downward revision to February 2025’s job loss estimate, from 7,200 to 6,600.

More detailed data and analysis can be found on the Employment Security Department’s website.