Washington ESD - when was unemployment the lowest in our state?

That's encouraging to hear. Hopefully we can get back to those levels again soon.

Yeah but those numbers don't tell the whole story about underemployment and people working multiple part-time jobs just to survive

Tell me about it! I've been trying to get through to them about my pending adjudication for three weeks now.

Have you tried using Claimyr? I found out about it on claimyr.com when I was having the same problem. They actually help you get through to Washington ESD agents by phone. There's even a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

Never heard of that service before. Does it actually work for getting past the busy signals?

You're thinking of a different period. The late 90s had low unemployment but not as low as 2019. The 2.7% in December 2019 was actually a historic low for Washington state.

oh ok my bad, thanks for the correction

That's exactly why I ended up using Claimyr. Spent hours trying to call Washington ESD directly and kept getting hung up on. With Claimyr, I actually got connected to an agent who walked me through the verification process.

How much does this Claimyr thing cost though? Seems like we shouldn't have to pay extra just to reach our own state agency.

I get the frustration, but honestly it was worth it for me. Way less stressful than sitting on hold for hours or getting disconnected.

Those COVID numbers were insane. I remember when everyone was trying to file for UI at the same time and the Washington ESD website kept crashing.

Exactly! The system wasn't designed to handle that volume. Even now in 2025, they're still dealing with the backlog effects.

at least now we know what rock bottom looks like lol

Thanks for the detailed info. Do you think we'll see those low numbers again anytime soon?

Hard to predict, but Washington's diverse economy usually recovers well. Tech sector is still strong, and we have aerospace, agriculture, and maritime industries providing stability.

Don't forget about all the new green energy jobs coming to the state too

Preach! I've been waiting 6 weeks for my adjudication to clear. They act like we're trying to defraud the system when most of us just lost our jobs through no fault of our own.

That's another situation where Claimyr helped me out. I was stuck in adjudication hell too, but when I finally got through to an actual Washington ESD agent, they were able to explain exactly what was holding up my claim and what I needed to do to resolve it.

Still ridiculous that we need to use a third-party service to access our own state benefits

Good point about the underemployment issue. Those numbers definitely don't capture the full picture.

True, that's why economists also look at the U-6 rate which includes discouraged workers and part-time workers who want full-time employment.

Yes, Washington hit 11.9% unemployment in January 1983. That was during a severe national recession that hit the Pacific Northwest particularly hard due to the timber industry decline.

Wow, that's brutal. At least we have better safety nets now, even if Washington ESD makes it hard to access them.

The job search requirements in Washington are set by state law and don't automatically adjust based on unemployment rates. You're still required to make 3 job search activities per week regardless of market conditions.

ok thanks, just wondering if they get stricter when jobs are more available

They might scrutinize your job searches more closely during low unemployment periods, but the basic requirements stay the same.

2008 was rough but at least Washington ESD's systems worked better back then. Now everything is online and constantly glitching.

True, the technology has made some things easier but also created new problems when it doesn't work right.

Absolutely agree. The process should be straightforward regardless of economic conditions.

Which is exactly why services like Claimyr exist. Until Washington ESD improves their phone system, people need alternatives to actually reach someone who can help with their claims.

Makes sense. If the state won't fix the problem, at least there are workarounds available.