The employment report for June in the Wenatchee Metropolitan Statistical Area – meaning Chelan and Douglas Counties – is out, and according to Regional Labor Economist Don Meseck, it's a mixed bag of good and bad news. But the good news is very good:
A drop in both the regional labor force and the unemployment rate might seem a statistical anomaly, but Meseck says it's just how the numbers worked out:
But Meseck says those numbers are estimates, so we'll have to see if that trend holds up in future months, Meseck says it could be a fluke.
As for who's hiring and who's not, Meseck says the construction industry continues to be rather soft, and manufacturing was down by 6-point-seven percent. Meseck says he's intrigued by one category he doesn't have specific numbers for, and that's “private services providing,” but he says the statewide numbers for that category provide some insight on what could be happening here:
As for industries that are hiring, retail trade and education and health services led the way.