Wenatchee Area Unemployment Rate On The Rise

The latest job numbers for the Wenatchee area show a spike in the unemployment rate. 

The figure jumped from 6.4 percent to 7 percent in the most recent month. 

There was an even bigger jump between last year and this year (6.2 percent to 7 percent). 

The number of people working is actually on the rise, but the unemployment numbers overpowered the expansion in the labor force, according to the state Employment Security Department. 

Total nonfarm employment in the Wenatchee area registered 49,300 jobs in the most recent month, a strong 4.9% advance above the 47,000 jobs tallied in the same month last year. 

The most recent numbers represent the month of February. 

Job sectors seeing the biggest rise include Leisure and Hospitality (7.7 percent) and Manufacturing (11.1 percent), while Retail (-1.6 percent) was down slightly.  

In February, employment at most major Wenatchee industries was greater than in February of last year. 

The Employment Security Department measures the Wenatchee area to include Chelan and Douglas County and is referred to as the Wenatchee Metropolitan Statistical Area.