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DC's Unemployment Rate Shows Uncharacteristic Seasonal Adjustment
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(Washington, DC) The Department of Employment Services (DOES) announced that the District of Columbia's April 2004 unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted) was 6.7 percent, down 0.1 percent from the March 2004 revised rate of 6.8 percent. However the seasonally adjusted rate showed an uncharacteristic jump to 7.3 percent, 0.4 percent higher than the 6.9 percent revised rate in March 2004.
“The April increase in the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate appears to be a seasonal fluke,” said DOES Director Gregg Irish. “Over the year statistics show a positive movement in the District’s civilian labor force, which grew by 800 with a 100 increase in the number of employed residents.” The April 2004 wage and salary employment statistics also showed that jobs continued to expand, registering positive over-the-year growth of 5,300 jobs.
District of Columbia Civilian Labor Force, Employment, Unemployment and Unemployment Rate
Over the month, the District’s civilian labor force decreased by 1,600 to 301,000. A total of 280,900 residents were employed and 20,100 were unemployed in April 2004. There was a decline of 500 unemployed residents and a 1,200 reduction in the number of employed residents, which resulted in the not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate falling by 0.1 percent to 6.7 percent.
The District’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for April was 7.3 percent; four-tenths of a percent higher than March’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate and two-tenths of a percent higher than the rate in April 2003.
The April 2004 national unemployment rate of 5.4 percent, not seasonally adjusted, was six-tenths of a percent lower than the March 2004 unemployment rate and four-tenths of a percent lower than the April 2003 rate.
The seasonally adjusted national unemployment rate in April 2004 was 5.6 percent; one-tenth of a percent lower than in March 2004 and four-tenths of a percent lower than the April 2003, seasonally adjusted, national unemployment rate.
From April 2003 to April 2004, the District’s civilian labor force increased by 800. The numbers of employed residents increased by 100 and the number of unemployed residents increased by 700 from the prior year. The District’s April 2004 unemployment rate was three-tenths of a percent higher than the 6.4 percent rate in April 2003.
 
District Job Growth
The number of District wage and salary jobs decreased by 700 in April 2004. The public sector registered an 800-job loss, while the private sector gained 100 jobs. In the public sector, the District government lost 600 jobs and the federal government shed 200 jobs, while public transportation was unchanged. In the private sector, leisure and hospitality posted a 1,100-job gain and professional and business services increased by 1,000 jobs. Trade, transportation and utilities gained 300 jobs, while financial activities and other services each added 200 jobs. Offsetting these gains, were a 2,000 loss in educational and health services, a 600 decline in natural resources and construction and 100 jobs were loss in information services.
In the last 12 months, the District gained a total of 5,300 jobs. The private sector registered an increase of 6,600 jobs, while the public sector lost 1,300 jobs. The private sector growth was concentrated in professional and business services (up by 4,000 jobs), educational and health services (up by 1,800 jobs), and leisure and hospitality (up by 1,300 jobs). Trade, transportation and utilities gained 200 jobs and natural resources and construction added 100 jobs. The remaining private sector industries lost jobs over the year with the largest reductions in other services (down by 400 jobs) and information (down by 200 jobs). In the public sector, the federal government lost 1,000 jobs, the District government lost 200 jobs, and transportation lost 100 jobs.
Washington Metropolitan Area Civilian Labor Force, Employment, and Unemployment Rate
The civilian labor force in the suburban ring of communities surrounding the District of Columbia increased by 1,700 workers in April 2004, as employment rose by 6,800 and the number unemployed decreased by 4,900. The unemployment rate in the suburban ring, at 2.4 percent in April, was two-tenths of a percent lower than the March 2004 rate.
Over the last 12 months, the number of employed residents in the suburban ring rose by 84,700. With 15,200 fewer unemployed suburban residents, the suburban civilian labor force rose by 69,400. The suburban ring’s April 2004 unemployment rate of 2.4 percent was seven-tenths of a percent lower than the 3.1 percent rate in April 2003.
For the Washington Metropolitan Area, the civilian labor force increased by 100 in April 2004. The number of employed residents in the metropolitan area rose by 5,600, and the number of unemployed residents decreased by 5,400. The metropolitan area’s unemployment rate at 2.8 percent in April 2004 was two-tenth of a percent lower than the March 2004 rate of 3.0 percent.
Compared to April 2003, the metropolitan area’s civilian labor force rose by 70,200. Employment increased by 84,800, with 14,500 fewer unemployed. The Washington Metropolitan Area’s 2.8 percent unemployment rate in April 2004 was six-tenths of a percent lower than the April 2003 rate of 3.4 percent.
Washington Metropolitan Area Job Growth
Total wage and salary employment in the Washington Metropolitan Area increased over the month in April 2004 by 9,900. The private sector gained 12,100 jobs, while the public sector lost 2,200 jobs. The largest private sector gains were in leisure and hospitality (up by 5,900 jobs), professional and business services (up by 3,500 jobs) and natural resources, mining and construction (up by 3,000 jobs). Gains were also registered in trade, transportation, and utilities (up by 2,200 jobs), financial activities (up by 1,300 jobs), and other services (up by 1,100 jobs). Losses were posted in educational and health services (down by 2,900 jobs), information (down by 1,100 jobs), and manufacturing (down by 900 jobs). In the public sector, the state and local governments each lost 1,200 jobs, while the federal government added 200 jobs.
During the past 12 months, the Washington Metropolitan Area gained 77,300 jobs. The private sector gained 68,600 jobs and the public sector added 8,700 jobs. The major sources of job growth in the private sector were professional and business services (up by 27,900 jobs), trade, transportation, and utilities (up by 16,000 jobs), natural resources, mining and construction (up by 10,900 jobs), leisure and hospitality (up by 8,000 jobs), and financial activities (up by 4,700 jobs). Private sector gains were also registered in other services (up by 3,600 jobs) and educational and health services (up by 300 jobs). The manufacturing and information industries continued to report job losses –manufacturing lost 1,800 jobs, while information shed 1,000 jobs. In government, local government added 6,000 jobs and the federal government gained 3,900 jobs, while state government lost 1,200 jobs.
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