Jon Talton wrote a great article for the Times a few days ago that goes deeper than the usual “Boeing! Microsoft! Pink Ponies!” type articles and explores all the ways the Seattle region is exposed to the slowing economy: For local economy, it’ll be a long slog. …the national slowdown is finally hitting the Puget…
Category: Economy
Economic news, statistics, and commentary
Local Unemployment On the Rise (Wait, Still?)
The last time we checked in on unemployment data for the Seattle area, local data was rapidly catching up to national stats, with statewide unemployment jumping from 4.7 percent in April to 5.3 percent in May, and Seattle-area unemployment bumping up seven-tenths of a percent to 4.1 percent. Well, it didn’t take long for Washington…
Who gives a RA about the banks, anyway?
I thought we could use a thread to discuss the insanity that reigns in the financial world today. You all already know the news. IndyMac taken over by the FDIC in the third-largest bank failure in US history. The bailouts of Fannie & Freddie have begun. Here’s another take on the weekend news: Now here’s…
Local employer Intermec announces 180 to lose jobs.
Mike Benbow reports from The Everett Herald. [Addition from The Tim] As noted in the forums, local construction equipment manufacturer Genie Industries is also laying off “120 full-time workers and an undisclosed number of temporary workers.” The P-I has the story. Genie employs roughly 3,000 people, making it the second-largest employer in Redmond. For what…
Housing Slowdown Begins to Trash Local Economy
It looks like the housing bust may have finally caught up to us up here in the Northwest. According to the latest data from the Employment Security Department, unemployment in the Seattle metro area jumped 7/10 of a point last month alone. Here’s an excerpt from the Seattle Times: Unemployment in Washington state took its…