Washington, DC – The District of Columbia’s Department of Employment Services reported today that the seasonally adjusted preliminary unemployment rate was 6.7 percent in July 2021; this was a decrease of 0.3 percentage points from the revised June 2021 rate of 7.0 percent.
“The District’s recovery continues to be strong,” said Dr. Unique Morris-Hughes, Director of the Department of Employment Services. “The continued rebound from the height of the pandemic is possible because of the resiliency of Washingtonians and our employers. With the conclusion of federal pandemic unemployment benefits, DOES will continue to invest in upskilling, workforce development, and connecting hard working Washingtonians to good paying jobs.”
The District’s preliminary July job estimates show an increase of 16,200 jobs, for a total of 762,700 jobs in the District. The private sector increased by 6,300 jobs. The public sector increased by 9,900 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 1,300, from 376,100 in May 2021 to 377,400 in June 2021. The civilian labor force for the District increased by 400 from 405,400 in May 2021 to 405,800 in June 2021. The labor force participation rate increased by 0.1 percentage point from 69.3 percent in May 2021 to 69.4 percent in June 2021.
Employment Overview
- Manufacturing sector remained the same, after remaining the same the prior month. With employment at 1,000 jobs, jobs remained the same from a year ago.
- Mining, Logging and Construction increased by 300 jobs after increasing by 400 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 16,200 jobs, jobs increased by 800 or 5.19 percent from a year ago.
- Trade, Transportation, and Utilities sector decreased by 100 jobs after increasing by 300 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 29,100 jobs, jobs increased by 1,300 or 4.68 percent from a year ago.
- Information sector remained the same after a decrease by 300 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 18,900 jobs, jobs decreased by 600 or 3.08 percent from a year ago.
- Financial Activities sector decreased by 200 jobs after a decrease of 100 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 28,000 jobs, jobs decreased by 1,000 jobs or 3.45 percent from a year ago.
- Professional and Business Services sector increased by 800 jobs, after a increase of 2,400 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 169,100 jobs, jobs increased by 3,500 or 2.11 percent from a year ago.
- Educational and Health Services sector increased by 2,700 jobs, after a decrease of 2,700 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 125,800 jobs, jobs increased by 7,500 or 6.34 percent from a year ago.
- Leisure and Hospitality sector increased by 2,000 jobs, after an increase of 4,500 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 51,900 jobs, jobs increased by 14,500 or 38.77 percent from a year ago.
- Other Services sector increased by 800 jobs, after an increase of 800 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 71,500 jobs, jobs decreased by 1,300 or 1.79 percent from a year ago.
Labor Force Overview
- The number of employed District residents increased by 2,500 over the month to 379,800. The civilian labor force increased by 1,500 to 407,200.
- One year ago, total employment was 366,900 and the civilian labor force was 402,600.
The number of unemployed was 35,700, and the unemployment rate was 8.9 percent.
NOTES: The July 2021 final and August 2021 preliminary unemployment rates, will be released on Friday September 17, 2021. Historica1 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 2020 annual benchmark revisions.
Industry employment data is not seasonally adjusted.
