Thousands more Washingtonians have filed for unemployment benefits since the beginning of the federal government shutdown, though it’s both a growing number of federal and private sector workers lining up for assistance. 

According to the state, 1,184 federal workers – about 79 per day – in Washington state applied for benefits through Oct. 15.  

For the week ending Oct. 3, 5,884 people applied for unemployment benefits, an increase of 1,094 from the previous week. For the week ending Oct. 10, the number increased to 6,287. 

“Since early spring, we’ve seen a 20% increase in our ongoing unemployment claims after seasonal workers returned to work. That’s not typical. That tells us people are having a harder time finding jobs,” said Cami Feek, the state’s Employment Security commissioner, in a statement. “We’re looking at all options to serve our customers as quickly as possible.” 

Neither Benton nor Franklin counties are in the state’s top 10 counties where federal workers are employed. That’s because the bulk of the many federally-funded jobs in the Tri-Cities are through contractors, such as those at the Hanford site and Battelle for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. 

But the shutdown and other federal funding cuts are still hitting those major employers. PNNL has laid off and furloughed hundreds in the past few months in the wake of the Trump administration’s push to cut funding for clean and renewable energy research, which has a heavy presence at the lab. 

Hanford Tank Waste Operations and Closure, or H2C, recently notified the union representing many of its workers that it will temporarily lay off more than 700 workers on Oct. 20 if the shutdown has not been resolved. 

October is the annual start of the busy season for the state’s Employment Security Department when it comes to unemployment claims. Many seasonal jobs in agriculture and construction come to an end, and those workers seek assistance until work picks up again in the spring. 

However, after a year where more than 15,000 people around the state have been laid off across numerous industries paired with recent layoffs and furloughs of federal workers, the state is on track to surpass last year’s record of nearly 3.3 million ongoing weekly unemployment claims.