Local Employment Update
Unemployment in Chelan-Douglas Counties remains higher so far this year than all of 2015, largely due to the curtailment of Alcoa’s smelter. For the month of February, nonfarm job growth remained steady and more people entered the work force, but major losses in construction and a rising unemployment rate hamper the positive services growth. For more on local jobs and the impact of the Alcoa smelter curtailment, Dan Langager sat down with Regional Labor Economist for North Central Washington Don Meseck.