Nearly 1 in 6 Washington Workers Were Underemployed in First Half of 2009

In the first half of 2009, 16.2 percent of Washington’s potential workforce was underemployed each month on average. Two years earlier, before the recession, the underemployment rate was 9.4 percent.

The underemployed includes workers who:

• Are unsuccessfully looking for work (the unemployed),


• Are marginally attached to the labor market, such as workers who have given up looking for work because they have become discouraged,


• Are working part-time for economic reasons, such as an inability to find fulltime work.