Issue 23 | November 23, 2020
Stronger Together Spokane:
Workforce System Response to COVID-19
I want to recognize and thank our board and the staff and partners of the Spokane Workforce System for their efforts to meet our community’s needs during the past eight months of this crisis. The pandemic has created enormous challenges and imperiled our economic and physical health.

But through it all, we have been able to adapt and respond by providing access to services and resources that are helping people make sense of it and move forward. Every day, our staff are seeking to better understand what laid off workers and impacted businesses are going through and ensure that the work they are doing is making a positive difference. 

We are not through this yet, and the recent measures to slow the spread of the virus will likely take an additional economic toll on our businesses and workers. But I am humbled and grateful to be a part of this group of professionals who extend themselves in service to perform extraordinary work and look forward to taking the next steps together to help all of our friends and neighbors successfully overcome the barriers we are facing.

We are Stronger Together Spokane.

Mark Mattke
Chief Executive Officer
Community Investment Dashboard
RESOURCE TRACKING DASHBOARD

Tracking the SWC's Investment in Our Community's Recovery
Labor Market Update
INITIAL CLAIMS

For the week ending November 14, Spokane County saw 1,107 initial claims for unemployment insurance. This was down from the 1,510 initial claims from the week prior.

The industry that saw the highest claims over the past two weeks was construction, with 357 initial claims. These claims may have an element of seasonality, as construction activity is beginning wind down for the winter months in Spokane County.

Other industries with the highest initial claims totals for the same two-week period were Accommodation and Food Services (338), Healthcare and Social Assistance (277), Retail Trade (234), and Manufacturing (222) sectors. 

Note: The most recent initial claims data covers the time period prior to the recently imposed statewide economic restrictions due to rising COVID-19 cases, and it is expected that weekly initial claims for unemployment insurance may experience an increase in the coming weeks.
CONTINUED CLAIMS

Numbers of continued claims for unemployment insurance remained mostly level across all claims types in Spokane County for the week ending November 14.

The industries with the highest number of regular continued claims are Accommodation and Food Services (986), Healthcare and Social Assistance (811), Construction (679), Manufacturing (671), and Retail Trade (667).

After months of steady decline, regular continued claims began to stabilize, and both Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) continued claims remained even for the last month. PUA and PEUC programs were established by the CARES Act and are currently set to expire on December 26.

Continued claims by type in Spokane County for the week ending November 14:
  • Regular Continued Claims 6,858 (+2 claims from prior week)
  • PUA Continued Claims 5,265 (-4.5% decrease from prior week)
  • PEUC Continued Claims 4,054 (-2.5% decrease from prior week)
Weekly Continued Claims by Type | Spokane County
STATEWIDE UNEMPLOYMENT

On a seasonally adjusted basis, preliminary estimates from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicate non-farm employment in Washington state grew by 1,000 in October 2020.

In October 2020:
  • BLS estimated the private sector gained 14,100 jobs, the public sector lost 13,100 jobs.
  • Washington’s preliminary seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is down 6% from the revised September estimated unemployment rate of 8.3%. For comparison, October 2019's unemployment rate was 4%.

County level unemployment data for the month of October will be released by our partners at the Employment Security Department on Tuesday, November 24.
Washington State Monthly Change in Employment
FOOD INSECURITY

In Spokane County, there were approximately 90,500 residents receiving basic food assistance, i.e. food stamps, in the month of September. The monthly total was reduced by approximately 1,000 recipients from the previous month. However, this month's numbers are more than 10,000 recipients higher than compared to the same month last year.

The pandemic has put the issue of food insecurity in sharp focus, as food bank usage and basic food assistance enrollments in our community have increased greatly and remain at heightened levels.
*Graph adapted from the Washington State Department of Commerce's Economic Recovery Dashboard.
Workforce Services Update
Since moving to remote services on March 17, our campus has served 26,049* customers and 1,873* local businesses. 

Below are highlights from the past three weeks and a summary of new projects and initiatives across our campus.
 
*Duplicate count if they needed multiple virtual assistance appointments. 
TALENT SOLUTIONS by WorkSource Spokane

With the new health and safety orders restricting indoor gatherings throughout the state, the Talent Solutions team launched an email campaign to share the resources available for local businesses to help them stay open.

One such resource is the SharedWork program, operated by our partners at the Employment Security Department. It is an alternative to layoffs that allows businesses to retain their valuable employees by enabling employees to access partial unemployment benefits while working reduced hours.


Contact the team of business consultants by calling 509.532.3186 or email talentsolutions@esd.wa.gov to learn more about the support and resources available Spokane's business community.
"Things are starting to look a bit better! We were able to get 15 people on-boarded this week, and have 21 scheduled for next week! I appreciate your help. We are getting closer and closer!"

- Local Employer
WORKSOURCE SPOKANE

The dedicated team at WorkSource continues to expand virtual and online offerings to serve the community remotely.

Virtual workshops are available for community members that may be impacted by a business's reduction in workforce. Customers can view three playlists that will assist with their re-employment efforts: the Job Seeker Series, the Professional Development Series, and the Specialty Group Series.

 
Career Quest, WorkSource Spokane's virtual career coach, is also available for customers who want to take a self-directed approach to strengthening their ability to find, apply, and land their next job.

Career coaches at WorkSource Spokane are currently assisting customers virtually. Please call 509.532.3120 or visit worksourcespokane.com to get started.
"The online career tool [Career Quest] is pretty cool. I really like how I can save all my employment paperwork in one place."

- Job Seeker Customer
NEXT GENERATION ZONE

Career Specialists and support staff have provided over 30 households with rental assistance, totaling $57,833 of the $100,000 available to young adults in Spokane County.

The Virtual GED Classroom received a makeover. Student familiar with attending classes at the Next Generation Zone now have a dedicated website to continue achieving their educational goals through distance-learning. Visit Next Generation Zone's Virtual Classroom here.

If you have or know a young adult wanting to explore career opportunities, refer them to the Next Generation Zone's staff to begin taking charge of their future.

*Correction: It was reported in our last publication that the Next Generation Zone is now a GED testing center. However, the young adult one-stop center's education team and its partners are still working out the logistics. A formal announcement will be made through the Next Generation Zone's social media accounts.
"The teachers here are so cool. I know they are doing everything to make sure I pass my first test."

- GED Student
SPOKANE RESOURCE CENTER

The Spokane Resource Center (SRC) staff would like to extend a special thank you to the anonymous Inlander reader that provided this wonderful comment in the current issue:

"You wonderful group of humans: To the staff at Spokane Resource Center; Thank you for all that you do. Each of you have your own daily challenges and your own struggles in this new pandemic world but you still show up every day, setting your own lives aside and setting out to help people and make a difference in as many lives as you can. You are appreciated, you are noticed, and above all you are valued. Without you our community would be a much dimmer place."


A private donor provided enough hats, gloves, scarfs, socks, and snacks to create 144 care packages for community members experiencing homelessness. The SRC has begun to assemble the care packages and will distribute them to individuals in Downtown Spokane this week.

Exciting initiatives are on the horizon at the SRC. Follow their Facebook page and visit their website for the upcoming announcements.
"Thank you for [staff member's name] for always being available to help me get back on my feet. Someday, we will be able to meet in person, and I look forward to it."

- SRC Customer receiving food benefits.