Washington job growth statistics at a glance
Washington’s job market in the supplied data shows a mix of short-term gains, annual losses, and a rising unemployment rate through late 2025 and early 2026. The most useful way to read the numbers is by separating monthly movement, year-over-year job change, and the forecast path for unemployment.
Fast facts
- Washington employers added 6,200 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2025 (Employment Security Department, fourth quarter 2025 labor market conditions).
- Washington employers shed 6,600 jobs over all of 2025 (Employment Security Department, fourth quarter 2025 labor market conditions).
- The statewide unemployment rate rose from 4.5% in September 2025 to 4.7% in December 2025 (Employment Security Department, fourth quarter 2025 labor market conditions).
- Washington’s labor force participation rate was 62.5% in December 2025 (Employment Security Department, fourth quarter 2025 labor market conditions).
- Washington’s economy added an estimated 2,800 jobs in January 2026 (Employment Security Department, January 2026 unemployment news release).
Table of contents
- What the latest Washington job growth statistics show
- Monthly job movement and unemployment trends
- Year-over-year sector changes
- Labor force and participation signals
- Forecast path for unemployment
- What the numbers suggest about Washington’s labor market
What the latest Washington job growth statistics show
The clearest headline is that Washington’s labor market was still expanding in some months, but not steadily enough to erase the broader weakness visible in the annual totals. The state added jobs in December 2025 and again in January 2026, yet the full-year comparison still came in negative.
That combination matters because it separates momentum from trend. A few stronger months can improve the near-term picture without fully reversing losses accumulated across a year.
Big number: Washington’s economy added an estimated 9,000 jobs in December 2025 (Employment Security Department, December 2025 unemployment news release), then added 2,800 jobs in January 2026 (Employment Security Department, January 2026 unemployment news release). Those are meaningful monthly gains, but they sit next to a 6,600-job decline over all of 2025 (Employment Security Department, fourth quarter 2025 labor market conditions).
At a glance
| Measure | Latest figure | Source label |
|---|---|---|
| Jobs added in Q4 2025 | 6,200 | Employment Security Department, fourth quarter 2025 labor market conditions |
| Jobs lost over 2025 | -6,600 | Employment Security Department, fourth quarter 2025 labor market conditions |
| Jobs added in December 2025 | 9,000 | Employment Security Department, December 2025 unemployment news release |
| Jobs added in January 2026 | 2,800 | Employment Security Department, January 2026 unemployment news release |
| Unemployment rate in December 2025 | 4.7% | Employment Security Department, December 2025 unemployment news release |
| Unemployment rate in January 2026 | 5.0% | Employment Security Department, January 2026 unemployment news release |
| Labor force participation rate in December 2025 | 62.5% | Employment Security Department, fourth quarter 2025 labor market conditions |
The pattern in that table is worth reading carefully. Washington is not showing a simple one-direction story. Instead, the state posted short-run job gains while unemployment still rose, which is a common sign that labor force growth and job creation are moving at different speeds.
Monthly job movement and unemployment trends
December 2025 versus January 2026
Two consecutive monthly releases give a compact view of the labor market’s recent direction.
- Washington’s economy increased by an estimated 9,000 jobs in December 2025 (Employment Security Department, December 2025 unemployment news release).
- The unemployment rate rose from 4.6% in November 2025 to 4.7% in December 2025 (Employment Security Department, December 2025 unemployment news release).
- Washington’s labor force in December 2025 was 4,067,228 (Employment Security Department, December 2025 unemployment news release).
- Washington’s unemployed population increased from 186,157 in November 2025 to 192,851 in December 2025 (Employment Security Department, December 2025 unemployment news release).
- Washington’s economy added an estimated 2,800 jobs in January 2026 (Employment Security Department, January 2026 unemployment news release).
- Washington’s unemployment rate increased to 5.0% in January 2026 from 4.9% in December 2025 (Employment Security Department, January 2026 unemployment news release).
- Washington’s labor force in January 2026 was 4,065,178 (Employment Security Department, January 2026 unemployment news release).
These numbers point to an economy that was still generating employment, but with enough churn in the labor market to push the unemployment rate upward. The increase in the unemployed population from November to December is especially important because it shows why job gains alone do not always lower unemployment right away.
What changed over the year
The annual comparison is more subdued than the monthly headline.
- Washington’s job count decreased by 6,600 jobs, a 0.2% decline, from December 2024 to December 2025 (Employment Security Department, December 2025 unemployment news release).
- Washington’s labor force increased by 3,044 people from December 2024 to December 2025 (Employment Security Department, December 2025 unemployment news release).
- Washington’s unemployment rate moved from 4.5% in September 2025 to 4.6% in November 2025 and then to 4.7% in December 2025 (Employment Security Department, fourth quarter 2025 labor market conditions; Employment Security Department, December 2025 unemployment news release).
That mix of modest job loss and labor force growth helps explain why the unemployment rate remained under pressure. More people looking for work can keep the labor market tight even when job creation improves month to month.
The unemployment rate path
| Date or period | Unemployment rate | Source label |
|---|---|---|
| February 2025 | 4.4% | Employment Security Department, February 2025 unemployment news release |
| April 2025 | 4.4% | Employment Security Department, April 2025 unemployment news release |
| May 2025 | 4.5% | Employment Security Department, May 2025 unemployment news release |
| September 2025 | 4.5% | Employment Security Department, fourth quarter 2025 labor market conditions |
| November 2025 | 4.6% | Employment Security Department, fourth quarter 2025 labor market conditions; Employment Security Department, November 2025 unemployment news release |
| December 2025 | 4.7% | Employment Security Department, fourth quarter 2025 labor market conditions; Employment Security Department, December 2025 unemployment news release |
| January 2026 | 5.0% | Employment Security Department, January 2026 unemployment news release |
The sequence shows a fairly clear climb from spring 2025 into early 2026. Even though there were pockets of job growth, the unemployment rate never returned to the earlier 4.4% level shown in February and April 2025.
Year-over-year sector changes
Washington’s job growth statistics become much more useful when the year-over-year sector data is grouped into winners and losers. The December 2025 release gives the strongest sector comparison.
Sector snapshot
| Sector | Year-over-year change | Source label |
|---|---|---|
| Education and health services | +17,800 jobs | Employment Security Department, December 2025 unemployment news release |
| Retail trade | +2,700 jobs | Employment Security Department, December 2025 unemployment news release |
| Other services | +1,500 jobs | Employment Security Department, December 2025 unemployment news release |
| Professional and business services | -7,800 jobs | Employment Security Department, December 2025 unemployment news release |
| Private sector employment | +600 jobs, or 0.0% | Employment Security Department, December 2025 unemployment news release |
| Public sector employment | -7,200 jobs, or -1.2% | Employment Security Department, December 2025 unemployment news release |
The sector table shows a labor market with uneven internal dynamics. Some service-oriented categories were adding jobs while professional and business services were losing them. That kind of split often means the overall labor market can look stable on one slice and weak on another.
Where the job gains were concentrated
The biggest positive change in the supplied data came from education and health services, which added 17,800 jobs year over year in December 2025 (Employment Security Department, December 2025 unemployment news release). That is large enough to offset weakness in several smaller categories, but not large enough by itself to guarantee statewide growth.
Retail trade added 2,700 jobs and other services added 1,500 jobs over the same period (Employment Security Department, December 2025 unemployment news release). Those gains help soften the picture, but they do not fully outweigh the losses elsewhere.
Where the weakness showed up
Professional and business services lost 7,800 jobs year over year in December 2025 (Employment Security Department, December 2025 unemployment news release). Public sector employment also decreased by 1.2%, or an estimated 7,200 jobs (Employment Security Department, December 2025 unemployment news release).
Taken together, those declines are a reminder that statewide job growth is an aggregate number. One strong sector can mask declines in another, and the net result can still be negative for the year.
Private and public sector balance
The private sector was essentially flat at 0.0%, or 600 jobs added year over year, while the public sector declined by 1.2% (Employment Security Department, December 2025 unemployment news release). That is a narrow balance, not a broad-based expansion.
In practical terms, that means Washington’s labor market was not supported by a strong, across-the-board increase in employment. It was being held together by gains in selected sectors rather than a uniform rebound.
Labor force and participation signals
Job growth statistics are only half of the labor market story. Labor force size and participation help explain why unemployment can rise even when employers are adding jobs.
Core labor force numbers
- Washington’s labor force participation rate was 62.5% in December 2025 (Employment Security Department, fourth quarter 2025 labor market conditions).
- That rate increased from 62.1% in September 2025 to 62.5% in December 2025 (Employment Security Department, fourth quarter 2025 labor market conditions).
- Washington’s labor force in December 2025 was 4,067,228 (Employment Security Department, December 2025 unemployment news release).
- Washington’s labor force in January 2026 was 4,065,178 (Employment Security Department, January 2026 unemployment news release).
- Washington’s labor force increased by 23,061 people from January 2025 to January 2026 (Employment Security Department, January 2026 unemployment news release).
These figures suggest a labor pool that remained large and active. A rising or steady labor force can absorb job gains without immediately reducing unemployment, especially if new entrants or returning workers outpace the number of available openings.
Why the participation rate matters
A participation rate of 62.5% is useful because it tells you how much of the working-age population is engaged in the labor market (Employment Security Department, fourth quarter 2025 labor market conditions). When participation rises, unemployment can also rise if job creation does not keep pace.
That is exactly the kind of backdrop implied by the supplied Washington data: more people in the labor force, more unemployed people in late 2025, and job gains that were real but uneven.
Forecast path for unemployment
The supplied forecast data adds another layer to the story. It does not describe job counts directly, but it does show how the unemployment rate was expected to behave over several years.
Forecast table
| Forecast period | Average annual unemployment rate | Source label |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4.41% | Employment Security Department, fourth quarter 2025 labor market conditions |
| 2026 | 4.66% | Employment Security Department, fourth quarter 2025 labor market conditions |
| 2027 | 4.99% | Employment Security Department, fourth quarter 2025 labor market conditions |
| 2028 | 4.97% | Employment Security Department, fourth quarter 2025 labor market conditions |
| 2029 | 4.79% | Employment Security Department, fourth quarter 2025 labor market conditions |
The forecast shows a gradual rise after 2025, peaking near 4.99% in 2027 before easing slightly in 2028 and 2029 (Employment Security Department, fourth quarter 2025 labor market conditions). That shape matters because it suggests the labor market was expected to stay somewhat elevated rather than snap back quickly.
What the forecast implies
The average annual unemployment rate forecast for 2026 was 4.66%, above the 4.41% estimate for 2025 (Employment Security Department, fourth quarter 2025 labor market conditions). That is a measured but clear increase.
A forecast like this is not a guaranteed outcome, but it does offer a disciplined way to read the current data: the state was not being modeled as entering a sharp labor market recovery. Instead, the forecast points to a period of moderate unemployment pressure with some late improvement only after 2027.
What the numbers suggest about Washington’s labor market
The strongest reading from the dataset is that Washington’s labor market was active but uneven. Employers added jobs in several months, yet the year still ended with a loss. Unemployment moved higher, labor force participation improved, and sector performance was split between gains in education and health services and losses in professional and business services.
Key takeaways from the data
- The labor market showed short-term strength in December 2025 and January 2026, but not enough to reverse the year-over-year decline (Employment Security Department, December 2025 unemployment news release; Employment Security Department, January 2026 unemployment news release).
- The unemployment rate moved upward from spring 2025 into early 2026, ending at 5.0% in January 2026 (Employment Security Department, January 2026 unemployment news release).
- Washington’s labor force remained large and active, with a participation rate of 62.5% and a labor force above 4.06 million (Employment Security Department, fourth quarter 2025 labor market conditions; Employment Security Department, December 2025 unemployment news release).
- Sector growth was concentrated in a few areas, especially education and health services, while professional and business services weakened (Employment Security Department, December 2025 unemployment news release).
- The forecast data points to a labor market that was expected to stay near the high-4% unemployment range through the middle of the decade (Employment Security Department, fourth quarter 2025 labor market conditions).
A compact read on momentum versus trend
If you only look at monthly job gains, the state looks better than the annual number suggests. If you only look at the annual loss, you miss the late-year improvement. If you only look at unemployment, you miss the fact that labor force growth also matters.
The most accurate summary is that Washington’s job growth statistics show a market with enough hiring to post positive months, but not enough broad-based strength to produce a clean annual recovery. That is the central pattern running through the numbers supplied here, and it is the part most worth carrying forward into any future update.