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Council: Job market weak through 2025 but recent months show stabilization
Summary
The council reported weak employment growth through 2025 but noted three recent months of positive job gains averaging roughly 180,000 per month, suggesting the labor market may be stabilizing though the council wants more months of data to confirm.
Dave said employment growth has been weak throughout 2025 but that the most recent three months recorded positive job gains averaging just over 180,000 jobs per month. "If you look at the far right, though, you'll note we've had now had 3 months of positive growth, averaging just over a 180,000 jobs a month," he said, and described that as a possible sign of stabilization pending additional data.
He also noted unemployment has remained low and labor-force growth has been muted, which limits the rise in the unemployment rate even when hiring slows. The council’s employment forecast remains modest: roughly 0.5% annual growth in nonfarm payroll employment over the next four years for Washington state.
