Blog

State support for businesses and the economy

Yesterday Gov. Inslee announced the formation of the Washington Recovery Group. This is “a new state effort to help communities recover from the social and economic damage wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic.” It will be housed in the Office of Financial Management and “will help state agencies coordinate with local governments, higher education and the […]

In Washington 28,858 filed initial claims for unemployment insurance last week

This morning the state Employment Security Department (ESD) gave its weekly report on unemployment insurance claims. ESD reported a total of 28,858 initial claims for unemployment insurance during the week ending October 3. Of this total, 15,496 initial claims were under the regular unemployment insurance program; 54,151 claims were under the federal pandemic unemployment assistance […]

Nationwide, 840,000 filed for unemployment insurance last week

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued its weekly report on initial claims for unemployment insurance this morning. Nationwide, the number of seasonally adjusted claims was 840,000 last week. This is down from the (upwardly revised) number of claims for the previous week, 849,000. The 4-week moving average of seasonally adjusted claims was 857,000, down […]

Increasing aerospace taxes would be counterproductive for Washington

The news that Boeing will move 787 production from Everett to South Carolina is disappointing, though not unexpected given the crippling effects of COVID-19 on airplane demand. Gov. Inslee and others have responded by suggesting that Boeing should be paying more in state taxes. In a statement, Gov. Inslee said, “Boeing’s decision to take the […]

Update on personal income, consumer spending and saving rates during the Covid-19 recession

Here are updates (including just-released data for August) of two charts that I originally posted on September 12 regarding income and consumer spending during the Covid-19 recession. On the first chart, the stacked columns show estimated personal income for the U.S. as a whole, by month, from January 2019 through August 2020. The numbers are […]

In Washington 31,067 filed initial claims for unemployment insurance last week

This morning the state Employment Security Department (ESD) gave its weekly report on unemployment insurance claims. ESD reported a total of 31,067 initial claims for unemployment insurance during the week ending September 26th. Of this total, 17,734 initial claims were under the regular unemployment insurance program; 4,439 claims were under the federal pandemic unemployment assistance […]

Nationwide, 837,000 filed for unemployment insurance last week

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued its weekly report on initial claims for unemployment insurance this morning. Nationwide, the number of seasonally adjusted claims was 837,000 last week. This is down from the (upwardly revised) number of claims for the previous week, 873,000. The 4-week moving average of seasonally adjusted claims was 867,250, down […]

In 2021, Washington’s minimum wage will increase to $13.69 and new overtime thresholds will be binding

The Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) has announced that the state minimum wage next year will be $13.69. It is currently $13.50—the highest state minimum wage in the country. 2020 is the last step of the phase-in of I-1433, so 2021 is the first year in which the minimum wage is adjusted by inflation. […]

In Washington 34,114 filed initial claims for unemployment insurance last week

This morning the state Employment Security Department (ESD) gave its weekly report on unemployment insurance claims. ESD reported a total of 34,114 initial claims for unemployment insurance during the week ending September 19th. Of this total, 19,574 initial claims were under the regular unemployment insurance program; 5,284 claims were under the federal pandemic unemployment assistance […]

Nationwide, 870,000 filed for unemployment insurance last week

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued its weekly report on initial claims for unemployment insurance this morning. Nationwide, the number of seasonally adjusted claims was 870,000 last week. This is down from the (upwardly revised) number of claims for the previous week, 866,000. The 4-week moving average of seasonally adjusted claims was 878,250, down […]