State says more jobs in Washington than before recession



SEATTLE – The state announced Wednesday that the Washington economy now has more jobs than before the beginning of the Great Recession.

The Employment Security Department also said the latest numbers show Washington didn’t actually lose as many jobs as originally thought during the recession.

Initial reports pegged job losses from February 2008 to February 2010 at 205,000.  The new data shows the number was actually 189,000 lost jobs.

“The new data indicate that our economy is stronger, and has been stronger, than our monthly surveys have shown,” said Paul Turek, an Employment Security labor economist.

The state economy added nearly 193,000 jobs from February 2010 and January 2014.