Washington ESD unemployment rates - what is the lowest percentage graphed in recent data?
I've been looking at some unemployment statistics for Washington state and I'm trying to understand the historical data better. Does anyone know what the lowest unemployment percentage has been in recent years according to Washington ESD records? I'm doing some research for a project and want to make sure I have accurate information about our state's unemployment trends.
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Sophia Nguyen
I think it was around 2.7% back in 2019 before everything went crazy with the pandemic. Washington ESD had some really low numbers during that tech boom period.
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Liam Mendez
•That sounds about right. I remember hearing those numbers on the news. Thanks for the info!
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Jacob Smithson
•Yeah 2019 was when everyone I knew could find work pretty easily. Those were the days...
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Isabella Brown
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics data that Washington ESD reports, the lowest unemployment rate in recent decades was 2.6% in May 2019. This was during the pre-pandemic economic expansion when the tech sector was really driving employment growth.
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Liam Mendez
•Perfect, that's exactly what I was looking for. Do you know where I can find the official Washington ESD historical data?
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Isabella Brown
•You can find it on the Washington State Employment Security Department website under their labor market statistics section. They have monthly data going back years.
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Maya Patel
Man I wish we could get back to those numbers. Right now it feels impossible to get through to Washington ESD for anything. I've been trying to call about my claim status for weeks and can never get a human on the phone.
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Aiden Rodríguez
•Have you tried that Claimyr service? I saw someone mention it here before - claimyr.com. They supposedly help you get through to Washington ESD agents. There's even a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works.
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Maya Patel
•Never heard of it but I'm desperate at this point. Does it actually work?
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Aiden Rodríguez
•I used it last month when my claim got stuck in adjudication. Got through to someone at Washington ESD within a few hours instead of calling for days. Definitely worth trying.
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Emma Garcia
The unemployment rate doesn't tell the whole story though. Even when it was at 2.6%, there were still people struggling to navigate the Washington ESD system for benefits.
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Ava Kim
•True, but at least there were more jobs available back then. Now it's both hard to find work AND hard to get unemployment benefits processed.
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Sophia Nguyen
•That's a fair point. The system has always had issues but they got exposed more during high unemployment periods.
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Ethan Anderson
I remember 2019 being crazy good for finding work. I switched jobs three times that year just because I could. Now I'm on unemployment and can't even get Washington ESD to tell me why my weekly claim is pending.
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Layla Mendes
•Same situation here. My claim has been in adjudication for over a month with no updates.
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Lucas Notre-Dame
•You guys should definitely check out Claimyr if you're having trouble reaching Washington ESD. I was skeptical at first but it actually got me connected to an agent who explained exactly what was holding up my claim.
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Aria Park
For historical context, Washington's unemployment rate hit 2.6% in May 2019, but it spiked to over 16% during the early pandemic months in 2020. That's quite a swing in just one year.
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Liam Mendez
•Wow, 16%? I knew it was bad but didn't realize it got that high here in Washington.
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Aria Park
•Yeah April 2020 was brutal. Washington ESD was completely overwhelmed with new claims. The system just wasn't built to handle that volume.
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Noah Ali
•And they're still dealing with the backlog from that period. No wonder it's so hard to get help from them now.
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Chloe Boulanger
If you need current data, Washington ESD publishes monthly unemployment statistics. The lowest recorded rate was indeed 2.6% in May 2019. They also break it down by county which can be helpful for research.
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Liam Mendez
•That county breakdown sounds useful. I'll check that out on their website.
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James Martinez
•King County had some of the lowest rates during that period because of all the tech jobs.
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Olivia Harris
2019 feels like a different world now. I had no idea what Washington ESD even was back then because I never needed unemployment benefits.
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Alexander Zeus
•Right? Now half of us are experts on adjudication processes and weekly claim filing just from necessity.
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Alicia Stern
•I never thought I'd know so much about job search requirements and standby status lol
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Gabriel Graham
The pre-pandemic economy was definitely different. That 2.6% unemployment rate in Washington represented nearly full employment - basically anyone who wanted a job could find one.
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Drake
•Those were good times. Now even with unemployment benefits, it's harder to make ends meet while job searching.
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Sarah Jones
•At least we have better resources now for dealing with Washington ESD. That Claimyr thing someone mentioned earlier actually helped me resolve an overpayment issue that I couldn't get answers about through normal channels.
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Sebastian Scott
For your research project, you should note that Washington typically has lower unemployment rates than the national average, even during economic downturns. The 2.6% low point reflects our diverse economy.
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Liam Mendez
•That's a good point to include. Washington's economy does seem more resilient than some other states.
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Emily Sanjay
•The tech sector definitely helps buffer us from some national economic trends.
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Jordan Walker
just checked and yeah 2.6% in may 2019 was the lowest. crazy to think about now when im sitting here waiting for my washington esd claim to get approved
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Natalie Adams
•How long have you been waiting? I'm at 3 weeks in adjudication with no word.
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Jordan Walker
•6 weeks now. thinking about trying that claimyr service people keep mentioning
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Elijah O'Reilly
The unemployment data is interesting from a policy perspective too. When rates are that low, it creates upward pressure on wages as employers compete for workers.
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Amara Torres
•True, I remember getting multiple job offers and counteroffers in 2019. Employers were really competing.
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Olivia Van-Cleve
•Now it's completely flipped. Employers have all the leverage again.
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Mason Kaczka
Washington ESD probably wishes they could go back to 2019 staffing levels when they only had to process routine claims instead of dealing with all these complex adjudication cases.
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Sophia Russo
•Yeah their call volume must be insane compared to back then. No wonder it's impossible to get through.
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Evelyn Xu
•Which is exactly why services like Claimyr exist now. When the official system can't handle the volume, people find workarounds.
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