Jobless rate rises again in D.C. area as labor force grows; Employment gains benefit newcomers most, experts say
Unemployment in the Washington region rose to 6.4 percent in June from 6 percent the previous month, according to federal government data released Wednesday, highlighting the fragility of the recovery in the local labor market.</br></br>The Bureau of Labor Statistics data contrasted with numbers it released last week on the District, Maryland and Virginia that showed their unemployment rates had dropped in June. The difference is attributable in part to Wednesday's data not taking in the entire states of Maryland and Virginia.</br></br>At the same time, experts say the Washington area's relatively positive labor market has been drawing job seekers from outside the region faster than it has been adding jobs.</br></br>Experts also say that June is typically the month with the highest unemployment. That is when college and high school students flood the labor force looking for summer jobs. The BLS defines the labor force as working-age people who are either employed or unemployed and looking for work. A surge of job seekers can push the unemployment rate up, and a surge of long-term unemployed people who stop looking can push it down.</br></br>Unemployment had been dropping steadily in the region until May. But, experts say, most of the jobs are going to newcomers to the labor force -- recent college graduates and recently transplanted residents -- and not to long-term unemployed people.