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D.C. jobless rate dips
(Published January 12, 2004)

Unemployment in the District of Columbia declined slightly in November but remained higher than the national average and significantly above the rate in Washington’s suburbs, according to the D.C. Department of Employment Services (DOES).

The District’s 6.5 percent rate was almost a full percentage point higher than the nation’s November unemployment rate of 5.6 percent. The seasonally adjusted rate for the District was 6.6 percent, while it was 5.9 percent nationally.

In October the District’s unemployment rate was 6.7 percent, according to revised figures that placed the seasonally adjusted rate at 6.8 percent.

In the suburban ring, November’s unemployment rate was 2.7 percent. The unemployment rate for the entire metropolitan area, including the District, was 3.1 percent in November. Both regional jobless rates remained unchanged from October.

Economists generally consider a 3 percent rate of unemployment to be "full employment."

DOES Director Gregg Irish called the 0.2 percent drop in the District’s jobless rate an indicator of a "positive labor market." He pointed to 2003 increases in the size of the District’s civilian labor force, the number of jobs and the number of employed residents.

While annual totals for the first 11 months of 2003 reflect positive trends, government statistics for November showed declines in the District’s civilian labor force, wage and salary jobs, and employed D.C. residents.

The District’s labor force decreased by 1,800 to 312,000 in November, with a total of 291,600 D.C. residents employed and 20,400 unemployed. The number of employed city residents decreased by 1,300.

The total number of jobs in the District dropped by 1,900 during the month, with the federal government accounting for most of the loss due to a reduction of 2,800 jobs. The public sector job loss was partially offset by an increase of 700 jobs in the private sector, concentrated in retail and professional/business services.