THE REGION; D.C. Officials Have 16,800 Reasons To Worry About Area's Slowing Economy
Barely three weeks into the second half of the year, economists and others are calling attention to the inevitable: The area's economy is beginning to show signs of slowing.</br></br>One need not be an economist, however, to conclude at some point that the region's economy can't possibly sustain the high level of growth that we've seen in recent years.</br></br>That's not to say, however, that slower growth will lead to a prolonged slump. It merely means the area's economy is "slowly slackening," Stephen S. Fuller, a professor of public policy at George Mason University, told The Washington Post recently.</br></br>Job growth, generally regarded locally as the bellwether of the area's booming economy, remains at an all-time high. Employment growth has nonetheless tapered off recently, recording a net increase of 13,100 in February and a gain of only 6,700 in April.</br></br>Meanwhile, the area's unemployment rate edged up slightly in May, rising to 2.6 percent, from 2.3 percent in April, according to the most recent figures compiled by the D.C. Department of Employment Services.