Seattle's job market shrunk in 2025, marking first dip since Covid

New data shows the Seattle metro area had a net loss of 13,000 jobs last year.

That's according to the Puget Sound Regional Council, which tracks jobs in King, Pierce, Snohomish and Kitsap counties.

In a normal year, Seattle has a net gain of about 40,000 jobs. We lose some, we gain some, but we almost always come out way ahead.

Not in 2025. Only a handful of years match it, for jobs lost.

There was the pandemic in 2020, the Great Recession in 2009, the Dot-Com bust in 2001.

But here's the good news: 2025 was just a hiccup compared to the loud burps of those other years.

The Dot-Com bust was five times worse. The Great Recession's worst year was seven times worse. And 2020 was 13 times worse.

Job losses sometimes stretch a couple years. But the region usually bounces back after that.