Workforce Report: January 12

Issue 25 | January 12, 2021

Stronger Together Spokane:

Workforce System Response to COVID-19

Our region is starting off the new year reflecting many of the economic trends that other areas across that country are also seeing. Unemployment has spiked with seasonal layoffs in the construction industry adding to other workers being impacted by the ongoing restrictions in place due to COVID. But, there is also good news in that the pace of hiring is picking up across a variety of industries and there are many open jobs available for workers with a range of different skills and credentials.

Congress recently took action to provide more funds needed by businesses through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that offer assistance in bridging gaps until the economy gains momentum. To help workers as they prepare for the economic recovery, the Spokane Workforce Council has also acquired additional resources. We received over $1.6 million in grant funds from the U.S. Department of Labor targeted to services designed to ensure that people can successfully return to work. To support this effort, we just launched our (re)Employ Spokane campaign to increase awareness and utilization of these funds and the services we have available to help workers plan and take action on their next career steps. For anyone seeking to rejoin the labor force or thinking about going back to school for retraining, now is the time to visit our website and contact our staff at WorkSource Spokane or call (509) 532-3120 to set up an appointment to discuss how we can work to together to kick off 2021 and prepare for a prosperous year ahead.

We are Stronger Together Spokane.

Mark Mattke

Chief Executive Officer

Visit us online

Community Investment Dashboard

RESOURCE TRACKING DASHBOARD

Tracking the SWC's Investment in Our Community's Recovery.

Labor Market Update

INITIAL UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMS

For the week ending January second, 2,144 initial claims for unemployment insurance were filed in Spokane County. This represented a 64.2% increase from the previous week that saw 1,306 initial claims filed.

There were also 417 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) initial claims, up 50% from the previous week, and 388 Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) initial claims, also a 23.2% increase from the week prior.

Industries with the Highest Number of Regular Initial Claims for the Week Ending January 2:

Construction (404 initial claims)
Accommodation and Food Service (274)
Administrative and Waste Services (185)
Retail Trade (184)
Healthcare and Social Assistance (160)

Weekly Initial Claims | Spokane County

CONTINUED UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMS

Continued claims for unemployment insurance in Spokane County increased in the week ending January 2 for both regular unemployment insurance and PUA claims. In the most recent week, regular continued claims have steadily increased to 9,767 since reaching the pandemic low of 6,856 claims in the first week of November.

The industries with the most regular continued claims are Accommodation and Food Services (2,239 regular continued claims), Construction (1,374), Administrative and Waste Services (874), Healthcare and Social Assistance (862), and Retail Trade (790).

Continued claims for the week ending January 2:

Regular continued claims: 9,767 (+5.9% from the week prior)
PUA continued claims: 6,911 (+8.9% from the week prior)
PEUC continued claims: 3,572 (-9.2% from the week prior)

Weekly Continued Claims by Type | Spokane County

NEW ONLINE JOB POSTINGS

There were 4,526 new online job postings for the month of December in Spokane County, which was 365 more new job postings than December 2019. Even with heightened economic restrictions added at the state level, Spokane County businesses are still posting a significant number of new jobs.

Weekly New Online Job Postings

4,526 | December 2020

WorkSource Spokane Campus Updates

Since moving to remote services on March 17, 2020, our campus is proud to have virtually served thousands of job seekers and businesses.

Heading into 2021, we are continually innovating ways to serve our customers virtually more effectively. Below is a summary of new projects and initiatives that will kick off 2021 throughout our campus.

(re)Employ Spokane Campaign

WorkSource Spokane and Talent Solutions by WorkSource Spokane have partnered with us to launch (re)Employ Spokane, a campaign focused on individuals whose careers have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign will direct individuals to immediate job openings, short-term career training opportunities, or postsecondary degree programs to pursue in-demand careers in Spokane County.

Click here to view the (re)Employ Spokane campaign page.

WorkSource Spokane’s professional career coaches will guide unemployed individuals to recognize their existing skills and how to transfer them to a new job; identify certificate-based, short-term training programs that can lead to in-demand employment opportunities; or target a career pathway that can be achieved through attaining a degree from one of our local community colleges and universities.

Visit worksourcespokane.com or call 509.532.3120 to connect with a career coach.

Businesses are also encouraged to participate in our campaign and welcome candidates back to the workforce by downloading pre-made social media graphics and publishing the content to their social media business pages to let job seekers know they’re hiring. We’re encouraging businesses to be open to transferrable skills from job seekers moving out of declining industries into growing ones.

Visit our business-focused campaign page here.

Talent Solutions consultants are also collaborating with business representatives to coordinate various virtual hiring activities including the placement of your open positions on their Weekly Hot Jobs email, Virtual Employer Showcase, and Virtual Meet the Employers events.

Click here to connect with your industry’s Talent Solutions Consultant.

New Rental & Utility Assistance Funding

Spokane County has awarded the Spokane Workforce Council and its partners at the Spokane Resource Center $875,912 to provide rental and utility assistance to low- and moderate-income households affected by COVID-19.

View Spokane County's official news release here.

Residents of Spokane County will take an eligibility assessment located on the SRC’s website allowing Housing Specialists to reach out to the requesting individuals and families to review the next steps of the application process. Additional resources and support will also be available to community members with their personal finance recovery.

Visit spokaneresourcecenter.org/covid-19/housing to take the eligibility assessment and begin the process of requesting support from this program.

Learn about other ways the SRC can help through this challenging time. Visit spokaneresourcecenter.org to explore other community services and resources and call 509.867.8188 to connect with their staff.

Young Adult Marketing Opportunities

The Next Generation Zone, our career and education center for young adults, is actively recruiting marketing interns in a follow-up to the success the first cohort of interns achieved in creating promotional materials and campaigns between June 2020 and December 2020.

Young adults interested in developing a career in marketing can expect to lend their authentic voices and assist the Next Generation Zone in creating branded content and materials that promote the support and resources available to other young adults ages 16-24 in Spokane County.

If you know a young adult interested in the opportunity, have them email their résumé to Kallie Khademi, our Career Connections Instructor: KallieK@nextgenzone.org. Career Specialists are also available to help young adults in the area achieve their academic and career goals. Please visit nextgenzone.org/contact-us to get started.