Pasadena, California -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/20/2010 -- The unemployment rate in Washington stood at 8.9 percent in August, with the state having a net job loss of 2,000 jobs. This was mainly a result of 2,900 government jobs being cut.

Private employers in Washington were able to add only 900 jobs in August, which was the sixth month of increased hiring. Overall, the state has lost 6.1 percent of its jobs since the recession began in December 2007. The total number of unemployed in Washington in August was a little over 310,000.

The hardest hit segment in the unemployed category is made up of workers 45 to 54 years old who have only a high school education. While the federal government shed 1,600 jobs, the state government cut 1,100 jobs, and local government organizations cut around 200 jobs. The private sector that lost jobs included transportation, utilities, retail, construction, and professional services. The private sector was able to add jobs in education, healthcare (500), manufacturing (400), information technology (400), financial services (300), hospitality (300), and wholesale trade jobs (200).

Commenting on the jobs scenario in Washington, Hound’s CEO A. Harrison Barnes says “Seattle is the state’s main jobs driver. When the hi-tech industry picks up there, the rest of the state is going to do well to. My company has been able to find over 2,000 jobs in the city alone and over 9,500 jobs in the state overall.”