The construction boom continued to fuel Clark County’s job growth in December, according to data released by the Washington Employment Security Department on Tuesday.
Regional economist Scott Bailey said the county added 900 jobs in December, accounting for seasonally adjusted nonfarm job changes.
“Another good month for job creation,” he said.
Changes at the industry level were small in the larger picture, according to Bailey. Health care gained 200 jobs, and manufacturing lost 200. Five industries added 100 jobs, while two declined by 100 jobs. Construction gained no jobs in December, but seasonally adjusted and looking at 2019 as a whole, it remained the strongest growing sector.
The unemployment rate dropped from 4.7 percent to 3.9 percent in December, but those numbers might be skewed, Bailey said.
“There’s a large plus and minus around county unemployment rates, so while the unemployment rate has been declining, I don’t think it fell by that much in one month,” he said in an email. “In any case, we currently have low unemployment and good job growth in Clark County.”
Unadjusted employment showed that the county gained 300 jobs. Total employment was estimated at 172,900 jobs.
Job growth in September adjusted to an additional 600 jobs, according to the employment data.
Over 2019, the county gained a total of 2,900 jobs, a 1.7 percent growth rate. It outpaced the U.S. growth rate of 1.4 percent but fell behind the state’s growth rate of 2.3 percent.
Last year, construction accounted for the largest gain in job growth — over 800, a 5.3 percent growth. Bailey attributes the increase to The Waterfront Vancouver’s presence and other construction projects granted to the city and the county, he said.
