More Residents Back at Work as King County's Hiring Mix Shifts
The September 2026 Workforce Index, with data through August
King County's labor market took a step in the right direction this month. Unemployment fell to 4.7% in August because more residents found work, not because people gave up looking. Under that headline, the mix of who's hiring is shifting. Service and care roles are growing, most of the region's largest employers are posting fewer jobs, and tech layoffs have already passed the totals for all of 2024 and 2025.
Here's what the latest Workforce Index shows.
Unemployment falls to 4.7% for a healthy reason
King County's unemployment rate fell to 4.7% in August, down from 4.9% in July. Employment rose by 4,416 to 1,288,747, and the labor force grew by 2,365 to 1,352,310. The number of unemployed residents fell by 2,061 to 63,563.
The reason for the decline matters. In some months earlier this year, a steady rate masked a shrinking labor force. This time, employment grew faster than the labor force, so the decline reflects residents finding work. August was the second straight month of gains in both employment and participation.
The bigger picture is a plateau. The rate has stayed between 4.7% and 4.9% for six straight months. It's well below January's 5.7% peak, the highest reading since 2021, but the steady decline from that peak has largely stalled.
Inflation eases, but prices are still rising fast
Headline inflation in the Seattle area eased to 4.4% in August, down from 4.5% in June and 4.9% at its April peak. Core inflation, which excludes food and energy, eased to 3.3%. Both have now declined for two straight readings.
That's welcome news, but apart from earlier readings this year, prices haven't risen this fast since April 2024. A year ago, headline inflation was 2.8% and core was 2.6%. Headline is still running about a point above core, so food and energy are rising fastest. But core at 3.3% shows the pressure isn't limited to those categories.
Want to know what these trends mean for a specific household? The Self-Sufficiency Calculator estimates what it costs to live here based on family size and location.
Service and care roles lead hiring growth
Employers posted 34,635 new job openings in King County in August, up 4.0% from July. Across July and August, 67,923 openings came from 9,514 unique employers, with a median advertised salary of $88,320.
The fastest growth came in service and care work. Among high-volume job titles:
Servers: up 84%
Caregivers: up 78%
Medical assistants: up 54%
Baristas: up 32%
Tech was mixed. Software Development Engineers rose 6% and Applied Scientists 14%, Software Engineers held flat, and Principal Product Managers fell 11%. Software roles still have the most postings overall. CDL-A truck drivers fell 13%, the steepest decline among the top 20 titles.
Most of the region's largest employers pulled back. The 20 biggest posters from July cut their combined postings by 6%. Costco fell from 206 postings to 16, Boeing dropped 69%, Providence 39%, and Apple 37%. There were exceptions: Amazon added 142 postings to reach 2,307, five times Microsoft's 460. Blue Origin rose 28% to 447, and Intuit doubled to 193.
AI skills nearly double
Artificial intelligence remains the fastest-growing skill in local job postings. AI appeared in 2,276 August postings, up from 1,151 a year earlier, an increase of 98%. Narrower AI skills grew even faster from smaller bases: AI agents rose 313%, from 84 postings to 347, and agentic AI rose 211%.
Foundational skills still make up the bulk of employer requests. Communication appeared in nearly 17,000 August postings, and operations, leadership, and customer service were also among the most requested.
Tech layoffs pass last year's total
WARN notices received through September 22 cover 6,679 King County workers. That's behind 2023 (8,698) and 2025 (7,600) at the same point in the year, but ahead of 2024 (5,401).
The story is in the mix. The Information sector, which includes much of the region's tech industry, accounts for 4,477 of those workers, about two-thirds of the total. That's already more than the sector's full-year totals for 2024 (4,449) and 2025 (4,455).
Since mid-August, employers filed notices covering another 1,485 King County workers. Tech made up 904 of them, led by Oracle (359), Microsoft (277), and Qualtrics (117). Accommodation and Food Services added 548, nearly doubling its 2026 total, driven by Starbucks (224) and the closure of two Maverick casinos (238 combined).
WARN data is reported on a delay and may rise or fall as notices are filed or revised.
What it means
King County's labor market is steadier than it was at the start of the year, and this month's improvement rests on solid ground. But the opportunities are shifting. Hiring is growing in service and care roles, large employers and the tech sector are pulling back, and AI is changing what employers ask for. Workers affected by tech layoffs may find the strongest demand in fields very different from the ones they left.
That's where the workforce system comes in. If you've lost work recently or expect a disruption:
WorkSource offers free, personalized 1:1 support with job searching, career planning, and training.
The Employment Security Department can help you understand unemployment benefits eligibility and how to apply.
You can find training programs aligned with in-demand occupations, and compare job quality by company and occupation.
Explore the data
The full Workforce Index includes interactive charts and tables on unemployment, cost of living, jobs and wages, and layoffs. Sign up for monthly updates to get the Index in your inbox, and share your feedback on what would make it more useful.
The Workforce Index draws on public data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Washington State Employment Security Department, and Lightcast. Data is subject to revision.