Spokane County’s initial claims for unemployment insurance continued to decline, and for the week ending August 15, 1,243 new claims for unemployment were filed. Approximately 900 weekly unemployment claims were observed this time last year, with a normal level of churn observed within the economy. Industries with the most new claims in the past week were:

Continued claims for unemployment insurance also declined in the week ending August 15. We track three types of continued unemployment claims each week: regular unemployment, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) which expands unemployment benefits to gig, freelance, and part-time workers, and Pandemic Expanded Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) which expands the length of time an unemployed worker can collect a claim. PUA and PEUC are both new, temporary benefits created by the CARES Act, in response to the pandemic emergency. In the past week, continued claims totals for Spokane County were:

The steady decline in regular and PUA continued claims is a welcome development, as fewer workers in Spokane County are finding themselves unemployed as the economy begins to rebound. However, the steady increase of PEUC continued claims is concerning, as it indicates an increase in workers who have fully exhausted their regular unemployment benefits, and are now claiming an additional 13 weeks of emergency assistance. Below are the occupation groups from which the PEUC continued claims are currently coming.

The longer a worker remains unemployed, the more difficult it can be to maintain their relevant job skills and successfully find new employment. In the Great Recession, we observed a significant number of workers leave the workforce as discouraged workers after becoming long-term unemployed. The Spokane Workforce Council has resources and services to assist dislocated workers in finding new employment immediately, as well as for retraining to learn new relevant skills and certifications that are in demand locally.

Since moving to remote services on March 17th, our campus has provided 15,715 services to customers and 1,239 services to local businesses. Below is a summary highlighting the achievements of the past week.

Our Talent Solutions Team continues to assist local employers with navigating remote hiring, promoting open positions and assisting with return-to-work resources. They recently published the Return to Work Resource Guide and updated the business resources page, as well as their fourth training on utilizing Zoom: Screen Sharing Tip & Tricks. They also launched an email campaign highlighting immediate employment opportunities to assist local employers. Additionally, they are preparing for a virtual job fair occurring on September 15. Please visit their updated their Immediate Employment Opportunities web page for information about open positions or worksourcespokane.com/employers for updates. 

As always, career coaches are available by phone to assist anyone looking for work. Visit worksourcespokane.com or call 509-532-3120. 

The staff at the Next Generation Zone continues to advance engagement with virtual education and career exploration. They are excited to announce that Pearson Vue is now able to provide online GED testing, which will supplement their current testing options. Last week, Next Gen Zone representatives met with youth transitional housing partners to formalize a pathway for young people in transitional housing to access virtual Next Gen Zone offerings. One of their youth interns developed an art contest for young adults to share what diversity and inclusion means to them. Mediums include photography, drawing, painting, spoken word, poetry or stories. Submissions will be displayed throughout the community as well as at Next Generation Zone upon reopening. Check out their Facebook page for the most current updates at facebook.com/NextGenZoneSpokane, including their newest leadership video and marketing for an upcoming phlebotomy course. Other offerings are available at their primary website at nextgenzone.org. 

August continues to be a busy month at the SRC in large part due to two new grants awarded to the Spokane Workforce Council being managed at the Spokane Resource Center for rental and mortgage support. The team is currently receiving approximately 150 calls each day and since receiving the first grant have processed nearly $90,000 in housing support funds. In response to the high call volume, SRC has updated the phone system to offer automated greeting to reduce the wait time. Please Visit the Spokane Resource Center website for more information.