Employment Security Department
As paid family leave claims rise in Washington, the wait for benefits gets longer
Washington’s Paid Family and Medical Leave program wants to hire 49 more employees to deal with steadily rising demand that has some people waiting over a month to receive benefits. The state Employment Security Department asked for authority to hire the workers in a 2024 supplemental budget request submitted to Gov. Jay Inslee earlier this […]
T-Mobile to lay off 400 Bellevue workers
T-Mobile will lay off about 400 Bellevue employees by the end of October, according to a notice filed with the state. The telecommunications company announced last week that it planned to lay off 7% of its overall staff – or about 5,000 jobs – because of increased costs and competition. A notice from the Washington […]
Wage growth in WA slows, but average remains over $80k
The average annual wage for workers in Washington was $84,167 in 2022, up 2% from the previous year, according to the state Employment Security Department. That’s a lower growth rate than in previous years, likely due in part to cuts in the tech sector. Amazon, Microsoft, Salesforce, Meta and Google all announced significant layoffs in […]
More land jobs, fewer file for unemployment in May
Washington’s labor market is showing signs of gradual tightening as job opportunities and the number of workers willing to fill them move toward a balance. Employers added jobs in May, though less than in previous months. Meanwhile, the number of people seeking work climbed but the overall amount of openings fell. “Are there still ‘Help […]
There’s still time to receive an exemption from Washington’s long-term care tax
A deadline to apply for exemptions from Washington’s controversial long-term care tax is one day away. People who live outside of Washington but work in the state, spouses of active-duty military service members, those with non-immigrant work visas and veterans with at least a 70% service-connected disability are all eligible for exemptions from the new […]