Washington ESD unemployment rates - which group of women has faced the highest rates of unemployment?

Thanks! I'm looking at both pre-pandemic and current data. Do you know if Washington ESD publishes demographic breakdowns regularly?

They do quarterly reports but the demographic data isn't always detailed. You might want to check the Bureau of Labor Statistics for Washington state specific numbers.

This is so true. I'm a single mom and had to quit my job in 2020 because I couldn't afford daycare and do remote schooling. Washington ESD was backed up for months processing claims.

The childcare crisis really exposed how precarious employment is for single parents. Hope your claim got sorted out eventually!

Interesting, I hadn't heard of that service. Is it legitimate? I've been trying to call Washington ESD for weeks about my claim status.

Yeah it's legit, they basically handle the phone queue waiting for you. I used it when I was stuck in adjudication and needed to actually talk to someone at ESD.

Wait, you have to pay to call unemployment? That seems wrong somehow.

This!! I'm 52 and been looking for work for 8 months. Every interview I can tell they think I'm too old even though they can't say it.

The Washington ESD job search requirements don't really account for how much harder it is for older workers. Three job contacts a week sounds easy until you realize most places won't even respond.

That's part of why I'm researching this - I'm seeing so many different groups affected and trying to understand the patterns.

Recent graduates had it really rough. No experience plus a terrible job market equals long-term unemployment for a lot of young women.

I was a server for 12 years before the pandemic. Still haven't found anything that pays as well, even with tips being lower than minimum wage.

The whole tipped wage system makes unemployment benefits complicated too. Washington ESD has to calculate based on reported tips which are often underreported.

So many mall stores never reopened. I worked at Macy's for 6 years and got laid off when they downsized. Still looking for something stable.

Retail has always been unstable but the pandemic made it so much worse. Hope you find something better soon!

This is so important to mention. Disabled women face double discrimination and it shows in the unemployment statistics.

Exactly. Washington ESD doesn't always track disability status in their demographic reports, but the patterns are clear if you know where to look.

Yes! And if you're stationed in Washington but licensed in another state, good luck getting Washington ESD to understand your work history.

The interstate licensing thing is a nightmare. Every move means starting over with certifications and building new networks.

That makes sense - intersectionality means some women face multiple barriers at once. Thanks for helping me think through this more systematically.

Exactly, you can't just look at one factor. A Black single mother over 50 faces completely different challenges than a young white college graduate, even though they're both women.

Great idea! I didn't think about reaching out to their research department directly. Do you happen to know if they respond to student inquiries?

They're usually pretty good about helping with academic research, especially if you explain it's for a college project. Worth a shot!

How does it work exactly? Do they just keep calling for you or is there more to it?

They handle the whole phone queue process and call you back when they get through to an actual person. Way better than sitting there hitting redial for hours.

I ran a small daycare and had to close for 4 months. Lost half my families even after reopening because parents had found other arrangements or lost their own jobs.

The whole childcare ecosystem collapsed and we're still dealing with the effects. Fewer spots available means more women can't return to work.

I'm a CNA and got furloughed for 3 months in 2020. Washington ESD was so backed up processing healthcare worker claims because nobody expected us to be unemployed.

Right, everyone thinks healthcare = job security, but that's really only true for certain positions. A lot of support staff got cut.

I do freelance photography and went from shooting 2-3 weddings a month to zero for almost a year. The PUA program helped but it was confusing to apply for.

The gig economy is already unstable, and women often turn to it for flexibility around family obligations. When it collapsed, there wasn't much of a safety net.

I was a licensed esthetician with my own small practice. Had to close for months and lost most of my regular clients. Ended up taking a completely different job just to pay bills.

Those personal service businesses require so much trust and regular contact. Once that got disrupted, it was really hard to rebuild the client base.

This whole thread has been incredibly helpful for my research. It's clear that you can't just point to one group without considering all the overlapping factors that make some women more vulnerable to unemployment.

Glad we could help! It's a complex issue but understanding these patterns is important for both policy and individual career planning.

I'll definitely look those up. Are they posted on the main Washington ESD website?

Yeah, under their labor market information section. They also do annual reports that have more comprehensive demographic analysis.

Good point - the unemployment rate only counts people actively looking for work. If you drop out of the labor force entirely, you don't show up in those statistics.

Exactly, so the real impact on women's employment might be even bigger than the unemployment numbers show.

Is it worth it for routine stuff like updating your job search contacts, or more for complex issues?

I think it depends on how urgent your situation is and how much your time is worth. For me, it was worth it to avoid the frustration of busy signals and dropped calls.