(Washington, DC)  The Department of Employment Services (DOES) today announced that the District of Columbia's seasonally adjusted March 2007 unemployment rate was 5.5 percent, down 0.3 percent from the February 2007 rate.  The current rate is 0.4 percent lower than the rate in March 2006.

“The drop in the March unemployment rate marks the third consecutive month that the District’s unemployment rate decline has been accompanied by an increase in the District’s labor force,” said Acting Director Summer Spencer.  “There were 1,200 more residents employed and 800 fewer were unemployed resulting in a 300 increase in the labor force.” 

District of Columbia’s Civilian Labor Force, Employment and Unemployment 

The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for March 2007 was 5.4 percent; down 0.4 percent from both the February 2007 and March 2006 rates.
 
Over the month, the District’s civilian labor force increased by 800 to 319,100.  A total of 301,800 residents were employed and 17,300 were unemployed in March 2007.  A 2,000 increase in the number of employed residents along with a 1,200 decrease in the number of unemployed residents resulted in the 0.4 percent decrease in the not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate.
 
From March 2006 to March 2007, the District’s civilian labor force increased by 7,600 as the number of employed residents increased by 8,500 and the number of unemployed residents decreased by 900.  The District’s March 2007 unemployment rate was 0.4 percent lower than the rate in March 2006.

The March 2007 national unemployment rate of 4.5 percent (not seasonally adjusted) was down 0.4 percent from the rate in February 2007 and 0.3 percent lower than the rate in March 2006.

District of Columbia Job Growth

The number of District wage and salary jobs increased by 3,600 in March 2007.  The private sector increased by 3,900 jobs while the public sector lost 300 jobs.   In the private sector, leisure and hospitality added 1,500 jobs, professional and business services gained 1,300 jobs, other services increased by 500 jobs, educational and health services added 300 jobs, financial activities gained 200 jobs, and information added 100 jobs. Manufacturing, natural resources and construction, and trade, transportation and utilities were unchanged.  In the public sector, the District Government lost 200 jobs and the Federal Government shed 100 jobs while transportation was unchanged. 

In the last 12 months, the District gained a total of 7,200 jobs.  The private sector added 9,000 jobs while the public sector lost 1,800 jobs.  The private sector growth occurred in professional and business services (up by 6,600 jobs), educational and health services and other services (up by 1,000 jobs each), information (up by 300 jobs), and trade, transportation and utilities and leisure and hospitality (up by 200 jobs each). Losses were noted in manufacturing and natural resources and construction (down by 200 jobs each) and financial activities (down by 100 jobs).  In the public sector, transportation gained 400 jobs while the District Government shed 1,400 jobs and the Federal Government lost 800 jobs.