TUMWATER, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Washington’s economy got more promising news in the state’s latest jobs report.

The Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD) announced on Wednesday, Oct. 14, that the state lost roughly 15,400 seasonally-adjusted jobs in September.

Despite the job losses, the number of unemployed residents also fell by nearly 4,400, bringing the unemployment rate down to 4.8%.

The decrease marked the state’s third straight dip in the seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate after it had seen steady increases since November 2024.

“The falling unemployment rate is partially a reflection of a decreasing number of unemployed workers over the past few months, but it also reflects an overall reduction in the size of the labor force over the past few months,” Anneliese Vance-Sherman, chief labor economist for ESD, said in a news release.

Overall, the private sector lost 5,000 jobs, while the public sector lost roughly 10,400. Professional and business services and construction saw the most private sector gains of any non-farm industry, while private education and health services dropped the most. 

Washington’s unemployment rate is still higher than the national rate of 4.2% in September.

Whatcom County’s September jobs report is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, Oct. 20.