Total employment in the Spokane metropolitan statistical area inched upward to 277,100 in April, about 800 more than a year earlier, preliminary figures from the Washington state Employment Security Department show. 

With a greater number of people looking for work, however, the unemployment rate increased as well in April, coming in at 4.4%, up from 3.8% a year earlier. 

The MSA is comprised of Spokane, Stevens, and Pend Oreille counties, with Spokane being the population center for the tri-county MSA. About 720 of the additional jobs reported in the preliminary figures were in Spokane County, and just under 80 of them were in Stevens County. Employment in Pend Oreille County remained essentially flat with fewer than 10 additional positions. 

As ESD reported earlier this month, Washington state gained about 50,600 jobs between April 2023 and last month, according to preliminary figures. The sectors with the largest annual gains in employment were in three categories: government; education and health services; and transportation, warehousing, and utilities.