Seattle's unemployment rate has risen to 5.2% in January, a rare occurrence for the region, according to state Employment Security Department data. The city lost roughly 3,200 jobs over the past year. This shift is unusual as the local rate has only exceeded the state's during major economic disruptions like the Great Recession and the pandemic. Meanwhile, private-sector employment in Washington increased by 16,700 over the year, while government jobs fell by 7,600. The department is behind on releases due to federal data disruptions and annual benchmarking issues.