What is the percent of unemployment in Washington ESD area vs America overall?

That's helpful, thanks. I guess 4.2% doesn't sound terrible but it still feels tough out there.

Those official numbers never tell the whole story anyway. Doesn't count people who gave up looking or are underemployed.

I'm in retail management so maybe that explains why I'm having a harder time. Thanks for the specific numbers.

Retail has been brutal lately, especially management positions. A lot of companies are flattening their structures.

Never heard of that before. Is it legit? I've been trying to call ESD for weeks about my adjudication.

Yeah it's real, check out claimyr.com. They basically handle the waiting and call you back when they get someone on the line. Saved me hours of frustration.

Anything that helps with ESD phone lines sounds like a miracle. Those hold times are insane.

I hear you on the experience requirements. It's like they want unicorns for every position.

Exactly! And then Washington ESD expects you to apply to 3 jobs per week like there are actually 3 good jobs to apply for.

True, that's why economists also look at the U-6 rate which includes discouraged workers and part-time for economic reasons. That paints a more complete picture.

exactly!! the real numbers are much higher than what they report

Same here. Filing weekly claims is easy enough but the job market feels way tougher than 4% unemployment would suggest.

What industry are you in? Some sectors are definitely harder hit than others right now.

I was in hospitality management. Lots of openings but they're all paying way less than before COVID.

It could be regional differences within Washington state, or industry clustering in your network. The statewide average smooths out a lot of variation.

Plus people stop filing for unemployment benefits after they run out, but that doesn't mean they found jobs.

That's a good point. So the longer people are out of work, the less likely they are to show up in the statistics.

Exactly why those numbers can be misleading. The 'real' unemployment is probably higher.

YES! I keep seeing the same customer service jobs posted over and over. Makes me think they're not really hiring.

Some companies post jobs they never intend to fill, either for compliance reasons or to make it look like they're growing.

That's so frustrating. I've applied to the same company three times for what seems like the same position with different job titles.

How does that work exactly? Do they just call for you or what?

From what I understand, they handle the waiting and call you back when they get an ESD agent on the line. There's a demo video that explains it better than I can.

RIGHT?? the statistics dont match what regular people are experiencing

There's definitely a disconnect between macro economic indicators and individual experiences. Both can be true - overall low unemployment with pockets of real struggle.

Wow that's a lot of applications. What industry are you targeting?

Administrative and office support mostly. Seems like every job has 200+ applicants within hours of posting.

That application-to-callback ratio sounds about right for what I'm seeing too. It's brutal out there.

Absolutely correct. The state labor department publishes regional breakdowns if you want more granular data for your specific area.

That makes sense. I'm in Spokane area so maybe the numbers are different here than statewide average.

Thanks for sharing that. It's encouraging to hear from someone who eventually found something even if it took a while.

8 months?? Were you able to extend your Washington ESD benefits that long?

I had to get creative with part-time work and some freelancing to bridge the gap. ESD benefits only go so far.

Did it actually work? I'm skeptical of anything that costs money when dealing with unemployment.

It worked for me. Beats spending hours on hold just to get disconnected. But I understand the skepticism when money's tight.

YES! I think companies are being extra picky because they know people are desperate. Taking their sweet time.

Same experience here. It's like they're interviewing everyone in the state before making any decisions.

The hiring process has definitely gotten longer. Some companies are doing 4-5 rounds of interviews now for basic positions.

EXACTLY. unemployment rate means nothing if the jobs dont pay living wages

That's a valid point about job quality vs. job quantity. The unemployment rate doesn't measure wage adequacy or job satisfaction.

This is so true. I see tons of part-time retail jobs but nothing that would actually replace my previous salary.

Thanks for tracking those numbers. At least it sounds like things aren't getting worse, even if they're not great.

Steady numbers could mean the job market has found its post-pandemic equilibrium, for better or worse.

Good point about people who stopped looking. They're not technically unemployed in the statistics but they're not employed either.

And people working gig economy jobs or temp work who need something more stable. The categories get blurry.

You're right. I think I was overthinking the statistics when I should just focus on finding the right opportunity for me.

Exactly. Stay consistent with your search strategy and don't let the macro numbers discourage you from your micro goals.