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

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

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

The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for June 2007 was 5.9 percent; up 0.5 percent from the rate in May 2007 and 0.2 percent lower than the June 2006 rate.
 
Over the month, the District’s civilian labor force increased by 800 to 319,700.  A total of 300,800 residents were employed and 18,900 were unemployed in June 2007.  A 1,000 decrease in the number of employed residents along with a 1,700 increase in the number of unemployed residents resulted in the 0.5 percent increase in the not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate.
 
Over the year, the District’s civilian labor force decreased by 1,600 as the number of employed residents fell by 700 and the number of unemployed residents decreased by 800.  The District’s June 2007 unemployment rate was 0.2 percent lower than the rate in June 2006.

The June 2007 national unemployment rate of 4.7 percent (not seasonally adjusted) was 0.4 percent higher than the rate in May 2007 and 0.1 percent lower than the rate in June 2006.

District of Columbia Job Growth

The number of District wage and salary jobs increased by 2,200 in June 2007.  The private sector added 600 jobs and the public sector increased by 1,600 jobs.   In the private sector, educational and health services declined by 4,400 jobs while professional and business services gained 3,200 jobs, other services added 600 jobs, leisure and hospitality gained 500 jobs, information and financial activities added 200 jobs each, and manufacturing, natural resources and construction and trade, transportation and utilities gained 100 jobs each.  In the public sector, the federal government added 1,900 jobs and transportation gained 100 jobs, while the District government lost 400 jobs.

In the last 12 months, the District gained a total of 8,800 jobs.  The private sector added 9,000 jobs, while the public sector lost 200 jobs.  The private sector growth occurred in professional and business services (up by 5,800 jobs), financial activities and leisure and hospitality (up by 900 jobs each), other services (up by 700 jobs), educational and health services (up by 500 jobs), information (up by 300 jobs), and natural resources and construction (up by 100 jobs).  Manufacturing and trade, transportation and utilities lost 100 jobs each.  In the public sector, transportation added 300 jobs and the District government gained 200 jobs while the federal government lost 700 jobs.