Issue 26 | January 25, 2021 |
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Stronger Together Spokane:
Workforce System Response to COVID-19
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We are watching our regional economic statistics very closely as we enter into the first quarter of 2021 and seeing several positive signs in the labor market. Several key indicators are pointing in the right direction, including the trend of fewer people filing for unemployment for the first time and those continuing to receive several types of unemployment benefits. This may signal that people are indeed returning to jobs in our economy and the pace of hiring is picking up. However, there are two indicators that remain a source of concern and underlying weakness in our economy. One is the number of people that are transitioning to longer term unemployment insurance benefits, indicating that they have exhausted all prior benefits and are on their last 13 weeks of receiving income support. The other significant indicator is the number of people receiving state food assistance. The latest figure from November of 2020 is there are 89,500 people in Spokane County whose monthly income qualifies them for help with buying food for themselves and their families. While both of these reveal that many people are still facing economic challenges, our workforce system is poised to help people make the journey back into the job market and reach self-sufficiency.
Please join us in getting the word out that we have an array of training and reemployment resources available to help plan and then take the steps needed to advance their careers. If you or someone you know needs help getting back into the workforce, please get in touch with our staff at WorkSource Spokane or call (509) 532-3120.
We are Stronger Together Spokane.
Mark Mattke
Chief Executive Officer
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Community Investment Dashboard |
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RESOURCE TRACKING DASHBOARD
Tracking the SWC's Investment in Our Community's Recovery.
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INITIAL UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMS
For the week ending January 16, there were 1,298 initial claims for unemployment insurance in Spokane County, down 31% (-582 claims) from the week prior. This week’s initial claims total was the lowest level observed in two months.
The impacts of state-wide economic restrictions and the seasonality of the construction industry were primarily felt in the prior weeks, and now a more normalized level of initial claims is reported. However, this new normal is still heightened over pre-pandemic patterns, as there were 669 initial claims for unemployment insurance this same time last year.
In the most recent week, there were also 284 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) initial claims (-18.6% change from prior week), and 271 Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) initial claims (-19.8% change from prior week).
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Industries with the Highest Number of Regular Initial Claims for the Week Ending January 16: |
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- Accommodation and Food Services (167 initial claims)
- Construction (160)
- Healthcare and Social Assistance (144)
- Retail Trade (118)
- Administrative and Waste Services (117)
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Weekly Initial Claims | Spokane County |
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CONTINUED UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMS
For the week ending January 16, there were 22,067 continued unemployment claims filed in Spokane County across all four claims types. Both regular and PUA continued claims totals increased over the past two months and have begun to decline once again. PEUC claims, the federal extension of unemployment compensation for an additional 13 weeks that was created by the CARES Act, have been decreasing for weeks. However, there has been a concurrent increase in extended benefit continued claims, indicating those who are now on a final 13-week extension of unemployment insurance available through the State of Washington. In the most recent week, 3,287 workers in Spokane County are in this situation.
It is vitally important to re-engage these workers with new employment opportunities or worker retraining, as long-term unemployed individuals often have the most difficult time becoming re-employed.
During the Great Recession a decade ago, a large number of long-term unemployed workers simply exited the labor force altogether. To help combat this now, WorkSource Spokane has developed the (re)Employ Spokane initiative; more information can be found here: https://worksourcespokane.com/reemploy
Continued claims for the week ending January 16:
- Regular Continued Claims: 9,417 (-4.6% change from prior week)
- PUA Continued Claims: 6,379 (-0.7% change from prior week)
- PEUC Continued Claims: 2,984 (-6.0% change from prior week)
- Extended Benefits Continued Claims: 3,287 (+10.1% change from prior week)
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Weekly Continued Claims by Type | Spokane County |
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FOOD INSECURITY
We’ve previously highlighted the crisis of food insecurity for Spokane residents over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The data for November 2020 was recently released by the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, showing that 89,500 residents in Spokane County continue to receive SNAP basic food assistance, commonly referred to as food stamps. This is a dramatic increase over the same timeframe last year, in which 10,000 residents were receiving basic food assistance.
As the economy recovers from the effects of the pandemic, the need for food assistance in our community continues to run very high. November’s reported level of SNAP basic food recipients represents over 17% of the county’s total population.
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WorkSource Spokane Campus Updates |
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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.
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New Year, New Look
As a new year begins, many aspects of WorkSource Spokane are being refreshed. The Workshop and Assessments Team is reconfiguring the Job Club workshop, optimizing it for a virtual environment by utilizing a guided discussion format that will feature guest speakers, such as local employers and subject matter experts from agencies throughout workforce development.
In addition to welcoming two new team members, WorkSource Spokane has launched an updated virtual check-in process for career coaches to better know the customer and develop more comprehensive relationships with them.
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Apprenticeship Virtual Forum
The Talent Solutions Team (TST) hosted an Apprenticeship Virtual Forum on January 13th in an effort to support apprenticeship programs and facilitate communication between apprenticeship representatives. Topics included current successful apprenticeship recruitment strategies as well as challenges that coordinators face. TST consultants continue to explore how they can assist with recruitment for apprenticeship programs to support adults in the community.
If your business is a registered apprenticeship program and would like to participate, reach out to Talent Solutions at talentsolutions@esd.wa.gov.
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Young Adult Opportunities
The Next Generation Zone is partnering with Talent Solutions Team (TST) to market their virtual job fairs and Featured Employers events to younger audiences. The Next Generation Zone’s Youth Ambassadors will be tasked with creating dynamic youth-focused marketing to promote TST’s events. Community partners will receive the marketing and be encouraged to direct young adults to contact the Next Generation Zone to sign up for events and receive assistance in preparing.
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CARES Act CDBG Rental & Utility Assistance
As mentioned in our previous report, Spokane County awarded the Spokane Workforce Council and its partners at the Spokane Resource Center $857,912 to provide rental and utility assistance to low- and moderate-income households affected by COVID-19.
The program launched on January 12th and the SRC received 388 eligibility assessments in just over 72 hours. This week, the Housing Team has begun reaching out to eligible applicants to guide them through the next steps of the application.
We have temporarily paused the intake of new eligibility assessments to give housing specialists an opportunity to keep up with the high volume of applications. Like & follow SRC’s Facebook page to stay up-to-date with 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.
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