Weather attributed to rise in unemployment numbers

COLFAX — February saw an increase in unemployment percentages from January due to this year’s bad weather, stated Regional Economist for the county, Doug Tweedy.

The February unemployment rate was at 6.2 percent, increasing from January’s 4.6 percent unemployment rate.

“We benchmark, and we get more information from employers and businesses on their workforce,” Tweedy said, explaining that the number of workers who lost their jobs increased in February.

“That has a lot to do with the businesses, so leisure and hospitality, agriculture, construction,” Tweedy added.

Tweedy explained that in February, jobs are dependent on the weather, so the weather hindered some businesses.

Unemployment is seasonal for Whitman County, but Tweedy said they expect those workers to return as the weather improves.

“It’s a temporary layoff, not a permanent one,” he said.

Tweedy stated the number of unemployed workers for January was 1090, and as the unemployment rate increased, there were 1,400 unemployed workers.

It is a regular seasonal pattern, where in January and February, as the weather turns terrible, construction, leisure, and hospitality all have decreases in total unemployment.

The leading employer in Whitman County is Washington State University, which Tweedy explained also has seasonal patterns. Still, most of these layoffs in Jan and Feb occur in construction, leisure, and hospitality.

“That’s higher than what we’ve seen in the past, but again it’s dependent on weather, so this year was worse weather than last year,” he said.

Last year’s unemployment rate was 5.1 percent.

“What we’re seeing is more opportunities for workers that are unemployed, so that’s a good thing,” Tweedy said, noting that employers are still hiring.