Washington’s economy lost an estimated 3,200 jobs (seasonally adjusted) in March 2026 while the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.1%.

“Three consecutive months of job growth came to an end last month,” said Anneliese Vance-Sherman, chief labor economist for the Employment Security Department. “Employers collectively shed an estimated 3,200 jobs in March. This continues a trend of low or no-growth over the last several months.”

Vance-Sherman added, “Although the unemployment rate remained unchanged, it continues a trend of steady increases throughout 2025 and into 2026, signaling an increasingly challenging labor market for job seekers.”

From March 2025 to March 2026, the number of jobs in Washington increased by 13,500 jobs – a 0.4% increase. You can review the total jobs chart in this news release for detailed information.

In March, private sector jobs collectively decreased by 2,100, while the public sector decreased by an estimated 1,100 jobs. The largest one-month sector-level gains in private industry occurred in construction (up 1,700) and wholesale trade (up 800).

Employment Security paid unemployment benefits to 75,907 people in March, a decrease of 1,498 from the previous month. Decreases in unemployment claims primarily came from construction, administrative and support and waste management and remediation, and agriculture.

Learn more about Employment Security’s monthly employment reports

Every month, the Employment Security Department publishes preliminary seasonally adjusted estimates for the previous month’s job changes and unemployment. The agency also publishes confirmed data for the month before last.

Go to the Employment Security website to find:

National unemployment rate

The national unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.3% from February 2026 to March 2026. For comparison, the national unemployment rate (revised) for March 2025 was 4.5%.

Labor force

From February 2026 to March 2026, the number of people who were unemployed statewide increased from 208,125 to 209,044. In the Seattle/Bellevue/Everett region, the number of people who were unemployed increased from 125,625 to 126,005 during the same time.

The state’s labor force in March was 4,064,428 – an increase of 17,302 people from last March. In the Seattle/Bellevue/Everett region, the labor force decreased by 3,339 people during the same period.

Labor force is defined as the number of employed and unemployed people over the age of 16. Layoffs and labor force participation are not necessarily connected. 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.

Eight major industry sectors expanded, five contracted over the year

Private sector employment increased by 21,500 jobs from March 2025 to March 2026. Government employment decreased by 8,000 during the same time.

The largest sector-level gains in the private industry were in education and health services (up 10,000 jobs); professional and business services (up 7,700); and transportation, warehousing and utilities (up 7,100).

  • Education and health services employment gains were primarily due to hiring in health and social services (up 11,200). Within that sector, ambulatory health care services added the most jobs (5,300).
  • The deepest one-year sector losses were observed in retail trade (down 4,400) and financial activities (down 3,500).
  • Losses in retail trade were widespread throughout the sector but most pronounced in motor vehicle and parts dealers (down 1,600) and building materials and garden supply stores and health and personal care stores (each down 1,400).

Table 1: Washington’s total jobs (12-month overview)

Month Total jobs (losses or gains) Unemployment rate Previous year’s unemployment rate 
March 2026-3,2005.1%4.5%*
February 2026+700*5.1%*4.4%*
January 2026+2,800*5.0%*4.4%*
December 2025+18,000*4.9%*4.3%*
November 2025-6,100*4.9%*4.3%*
October 2025-1,600*N.A.4.4%*
September 2025-8,000*4.7%*4.4%
August 2025+1,300*4.6%*4.5%
July 2025-8,900*4.6%*4.5%
June 2025+800*4.5%*4.6%*
May 2025+10,900*4.5%*4.6%*
April 2025+7,600*4.5%*4.6%*
March 2025-2,500*4.5%*4.6%

*Revised from previous preliminary estimates. Preliminary monthly estimates for job losses or?gains are based on a small Bureau of Labor Statistics payroll survey. Actual figures reported the following month are based on a more complete survey.?

Table 2: March job gains and losses by industry

Industry sector Job gains, losses 
Construction+1,700
Wholesale Trade+800
Mining and logging+200
Private education and health services+100
Professional and business services0
Manufacturing0
Retail trade-200
Transportation, warehousing and utilities-400
Information-500
Other services-900
Government-1,100
Financial activities-1,200
Leisure and hospitality-1,700

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