Washington, D.C. Market Snapshot
August 2022
Note: Most recent data available.
Throughout the Washington, D.C. area, businesses in sectors such as retail, manufacturing and hospitality report a shortage of job applicants. With a tight labor market spurring competition for front-line and entry level workers, the number of job postings has soared to record levels. Meanwhile, many area employers are boosting wages to attract and retain workers.
The latest unemployment rate in the Washington D.C. metro area is 3.6%, the same as the U.S. Additionally, metro area wages have increased 5.2% year over year. Meanwhile, the national labor workforce participation rate increased slightly to 62.3% — still below the pre-pandemic percentage of 63.9% from 2019.
jobs Added
-37,100
month over month
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
3.6%
up from 3.4% in July 2022
WAGE CHANGE
+5.2%
year over year
- Nonfarm wage and salary employment in the Washington, D.C. area is down 0.1% year over year.
- Trade, transportation and utilities had the largest job growth (+1,200) among all supersectors.
- The unemployment rate in the U.S. is 3.6%, compared to 3.6% in the Washington, D.C. area.
Washington, D.C. Breakdown
Q3 2022
RETAIL SALESPEOPLE
- Unique Job Postings: 5,794
- Jobs Change: ↑ 8.7% from Q2
- Median Hourly Wage: $16.06
- Median Hourly Wage as Advertised: $15.18
COOKS
- Unique Job Postings: 1,502
- Jobs Change: ↑ 4.7% from Q2
- Median Hourly Wage: $16.63
- Median Hourly Wage as Advertised: $18.03
STOCKERS & ORDER FILLERS
- Unique Job Postings: 1,331
- Jobs Change: ↑ 2.7% from Q2
- Median Hourly Wage: $16.29
- Median Hourly Wage as Advertised: $17.05
FAST FOOD & COUNTER WORKERS
- Unique Job Postings: 3,214
- Jobs Change: ↑ 2.6% from Q2
- Median Hourly Wage: $13.75
- Median Hourly Wage as Advertised: $14.95
HOSTS & HOSTESSES
- Unique Job Postings: 1,008
- Jobs Change: ↓ 0.8% from Q2
- Median Hourly Wage: $13.80
- Median Hourly Wage as Advertised: $15.45
PRODUCTION WORKERS
- Unique Job Postings: 566
- Jobs Change: ↓ 1.4% from Q2
- Median Hourly Wage: $16.97
- Median Hourly Wage as Advertised: $18.77
About PeopleReady
PeopleReady connects people with work throughout the Washington, D.C. market. We put a Workforce Within Reach™ across a variety of industries, including hospitality, retail, manufacturing, construction and more. If you’re struggling to find workers in this competitive market, call us at 800.966.4139 to find staffing solutions now.
SOURCES
- U.S. BLS, Local Area Unemployment Statistics
- Emsi, October 3, 2022
