(Washington, DC)  The Department of Employment Services (DOES) today announced that the District of Columbia's seasonally adjusted May 2007 unemployment rate was 5.6 percent, down 0.1 percent from the April 2007 rate.  The May 2007 rate was 0.3 percent lower than the rate in May 2006.

“This is the fifth consecutive month that the District’s labor force expanded.  We have returned to the first quarter 2007 trend, when monthly expansion was accompanied by a decrease in the unemployment rate,” said Acting Director Summer Spencer.   “As the number of District residents who are unemployed fell by 200, the number employed residents increased by 400.”  

The seasonally adjusted national unemployment rate in May 2007 was 4.5 percent; unchanged from the April 2007 rate and 0.1 percent lower than the May 2006, seasonally adjusted, national unemployment rate.

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

The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for May 2007 was 5.4 percent; up 0.2 percent over the month, but 0.6 percent lower than the May 2006 rate.
 
Over the month, the District’s civilian labor force decreased by 600 to 318,900.  A total of 301,800 residents were employed and 17,200 were unemployed in May 2007.  A 1,100 decrease in the number of employed residents along with a 600 increase in the number of unemployed residents resulted in the 0.2 percent increase in the not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate.
 
From May 2006 to May 2007, the District’s civilian labor force increased by 6,000 as the number of employed residents increased by 7,700 and the number of unemployed residents decreased by 1,600.  The District’s May 2007 unemployment rate was 0.6 percent lower than the rate in May 2006.

The May 2007 national unemployment rate of 4.3 percent (not seasonally adjusted) was unchanged from the rate in April 2007 and 0.1 percent lower than the rate in May 2006.

District of Columbia Job Growth

The number of District wage and salary jobs decreased by 2,500 in May 2007.  The private sector decreased by 2,800 jobs while the public sector added 300 jobs.   In the private sector, educational and health services declined by 4,200 jobs and information lost 100 while professional and business services gained 600 jobs, natural resources and construction and leisure and hospitality added 300 jobs each, and trade, transportation and utilities, financial activities and other services added 100 jobs each. Manufacturing was unchanged.  In the public sector, the federal government added 300 jobs while the District government and transportation was unchanged.

In the last 12 months, the District gained a total of 10,800 jobs.  The private sector added 9,900 jobs and the public sector gained 900 jobs.  The private sector growth occurred in professional and business services (up by 6,400 jobs), other services (up by 1,000 jobs), leisure and hospitality (up by 900 jobs), financial activities (up by 800 jobs), educational and health services (up by 500 jobs), information (up by 400 jobs), and natural resources and construction (up by 100 jobs).  Trade, transportation and utilities were unchanged while manufacturing lost 200 jobs.  In the public sector, the federal government gained 500 job and the District government and transportation added 200 jobs each.