MOSES LAKE - A former stay-at-home mom, Christina Maxey, 31, of Moses Lake, is unemployed, but treats her job search like work while supporting her family.

The single mother of two children is updating her computer skills through Microsoft e-learning instruction at WorkSource Central Basin in Moses Lake.

The program can also be done at home using a computer with Internet access, by visiting www.Go2WorkSource.com.

Maxey has a certified nursing assistant license from Arizona, which she is working to get transferred to Washington state.

She wants to do something different, but says her "heart goes to helping people."

Although she's a transplant, Maxey was one of Grant County's 3,530 unemployed in September.

She'll also be among the unemployed counted with October's figures, once they're released.

Grant County's unemployment rate for September was 7.5 percent, 1.2 percent lower than August's rate, according to the state Employment Security Department.

"Even with the increased unemployment rate and labor force, the local economy is showing some signs of health with more individuals employed in September 2010 than September 2009," according to Mark Berreth, with the state agency.

Although the National Bureau of Economic Research considered the recession's end to have been in June, "the labor side of it ends up being a lagging indicator," Berreth explained.

But once employers see that their current personnel are reaching a saturation point for their work and the economy can handle it, "they can start hiring people," he said.

It's impossible to tell exactly when employers will start hiring again.

"Mainly, the largest concern is consumer confidence and that's the point where you need people to start purchasing items or for current employees to start working more in order to hire more," Berreth said.

Statewide, private nonfarm employment increased slightly,

"Which shows signs of economic health increasing for the state," he stated.

The increases were found in the manufacturing areas of durable and nondurable goods.

"Many factors are at play here, but with a slight drop in the U.S. dollar's strength, the goods being produced in the U.S. are becoming relatively cheaper," he stated. "While this may not be a great sign of the overall economic health of the U.S., the increased jobs in this sector does show some resiliency in the Washington labor market."

As the state added private sector jobs, Grant County dropped positions at a 1 percent rate from month to month.

Grant County has also brought on more goods producing jobs at a 2 percent rate.

"Much of this increase is most likely a direct effect from agricultural employment increasing nondurable goods production," Berreth explained. "Even with this strong increase in manufacturing positions, trade, transportation and utilities has shed 80 positions, or 1 percentage point."

Small losses were found in nonfarm and private positions, comparing this year to last year.

Most impacted was the service-providing sector with the loss of 380 jobs, from September 2009 to September 2010.

The goods-producing sector stayed mostly flat with the addition of 10 jobs.

"The goods-producing sector tends to be the one bright sector for the state and Grant County, which is beginning to show signs of better economic health," he commented.

Government jobs also stayed mostly flat with a drop of 50 jobs from last year to this year.