The Trending Rate of Job Losses in the 2025 WA State Job Market

Several industries took a nose dive in the number of employed workers in March 2025. A recent report from the Washington State Employment Security Department has some job seekers and business owners concerned.

The national unemployment rate hovered around 3.9% for March, yet the rate in WA State jumped to 4.4%.

"When people are laid off but still seeking work, they remain a part of the labor force. A drop in the labor force means people have left work and haven't been seeking employment for more than four weeks." - WA Employment Security Department

The ESD Monthly report shows the number of people who reported being unemployed increased from 176,850 to 177,378 in March, including nearly 3,000 people in Washington's largest city of Seattle.

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A Look at the Top Industries in WA with the Most Job Losses and Biggest Gains

Has the increase in national unemployment finally come to roost here in WA? Concerns about soaring inflation, unexpected sudden federal job firings, rising minimum wages, and a worried undocumented worker population have formed into a big ball of influx for the job market here in the Evergreen State.

The two private industry sectors with the largest employment gains in March were, surprisingly, education & healthcare and information.

Industries with the biggest amount of job growth in March 2025 were:
Logging & Mining
Financial Services
Information & Trade
Professional Business Services

The biggest job losses in Washington State during March 2025 were:
Government
Construction
Manufacturing
Education & Health Services
Leisure & Hospitality
Wholesale Trade
Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities

Are you surprised by the following list of Washington State industries that have taken a nose dive for the number of employed workers during the first quarter of 2025?

You can view the entire March 2025 jobs monthly report on the ESD website.