08/19/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/19/2022 17:01
(Washington, DC) - The District of Columbia's Department of Employment Services reported today that the seasonally adjusted preliminary unemployment rate was 5.2 percent in July 2022; this was a decrease of 0.3 percentage points from the revised June 2022 rate of 5.5 percent.
"District of Columbia employment is resurging; DC is open, and employers are hiring," said DOES Director Dr. Unique Morris-Hughes. "Evidenced by notable job gains in the Professional and Business Services industry, DC workers are energized and competing with success to work where they live; achieving financial stability and strengthening the District economy." Over the year, the unemployment rates in Wards 7 and 8 have improved by 3.1 and 6.6 percentage points, respectively - and there are 22,700 more DC residents employed across the District.
The District's preliminary July job estimates show an increase of 14,900 jobs, for a total of 778,900 jobs in the District. The private sector increased by 4,700 jobs. The public sector increased by 10,200 jobs. The numbers are drawn from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) through its monthly survey of the District of Columbia's employers.
The number of employed District residents increased by 700, from 365,100 in June 2022 to 365,800 in July 2022. The civilian labor force for the District decreased by 700 from 386,300 in June 2022 to 385,600 in July 2022. The labor force participation rate increased by 0.1 percentage point from 72.9 percent in June 2022 to 73.0 percent in July 2022.
Employment Overview
Labor Force Overview
The number of unemployed was 27,200, and the unemployment rate was 7.1 percent.
NOTES: The July 2022 final and August 2022 preliminary unemployment rates, will be released on Friday September 16, 2022. Historical jobs and labor force estimates for the District of Columbia and detailed labor market information is available HERE.
Technical Notes: Estimates of industry employment and unemployment levels are determined through the use of two different monthly surveys.
Industry employment data is derived from the Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey, a monthly survey of business establishments conducted by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the US Department of Labor, which provides estimates of employment, hours, and earnings data broken down by industry for the nation as a whole, all states, and most major metropolitan areas (often referred to as the "establishment" survey).
Resident employment and unemployment data are mainly derived from the District's portion of the national Current Population Survey (CPS), a household survey conducted each month by the US Census Bureau under contract with BLS, which provides input to the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program (often referred to as the "household" survey).
Both industry and household estimates are revised each month based on additional information from updated survey reports compiled by BLS. In addition, these estimates are benchmarked (revised) annually based on actual counts from the District's Unemployment Compensation Law administrative records and other data.
Data reflects 2021 annual benchmark revisions.
Industry employment data is not seasonally adjusted.