WA employers added jobs in May, but unemployment rate stayed stuck at 5.2%

By: Jerry Cornfield

Outlets: Washington State Standard

Published: June 17, 2026

Words: 328

Last Updated: 1 month ago

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Washington’s unemployment rate held steady at 5.2% in May even as the economy added roughly 10,000 jobs, its highest one-month gain this year.

“A strong month of growth is welcome following two consecutive months of employment losses, but it doesn’t signal any meaningful shifts on its own,” Anneliese Vance-Sherman, chief labor economist for the Employment Security Department, said Wednesday.

The unemployment rate was unchanged from April. It was 4.5% in May 2025 and the …

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