State officials: North Olympic Peninsula unemployment rates dip in March

Published 12:01 am Wednesday, April 22, 2015

An additional 290 North Olympic Peninsula residents held a job last month as the unemployment rates in Clallam and Jefferson counties dipped slightly from February to March, state officials said.

The Clallam County jobless rate dropped from a revised 9.9 percent in February to a preliminary 8.3 percent in March, the state Employment Security Department reported Tuesday.

Jefferson County unemployment went from a revised 8.8 percent in February to a preliminary 7.4 percent March.

A breakdown of the type of jobs gained or lost was not provided with the monthly report for individual counties.

Jobless rates do not factor those who are underemployed, commute to other counties or have quit looking for work.

Changes in the size of the workforce also can change unemployment rates.

According to the March report, Clallam County had 220 more employed citizens — from 24,810 in February to 25,030 in March — while the size of its workforce shrank by 240 to 27,300.

The 8.3 percent estimated jobless rate for Clallam County in March was the lowest since it was 7.9 percent in September 2014.

Jefferson County had 70 more employed citizens — from 10,260 in February to 10,330 in March — while the size of the workforce shrank by 90 to 11,160.

The 7.4 percent estimated unemployment rate for Jefferson County in March was the lowest since it was 7.3 percent in June 2014.

Unemployment rates in March 2014 were 9.1 percent in Clallam County and 8.8 percent in Jefferson County.

Statewide unemployment dipped from 6.3 percent to 5.9 percent last month, while seasonally adjusted national unemployment remained at 5.5 percent.

Unemployment rates at the county level are not seasonally adjusted because the sample size is too small to accommodate that additional analysis, state officials said.