Jobless rate falls slightly on Peninsula

PORT ANGELES — More than 250 North Olympic Peninsula residents found jobs or left the labor force in September as unemployment fell slightly in Clallam and Jefferson counties last month, state officials said.

Clallam County’s jobless rate dipped from a revised 6.9 percent in August to a preliminary 6.3 percent in September, the state Employment Security Department reported Tuesday.

Jefferson County unemployment went from a revised 6.2 percent in August to a preliminary 5.5 percent in September, officials said.

Clallam County had 26,507 working residents and 1,783 job-seekers in September. Clallam County had 1,967 unemployed in August.

Jefferson County had 12,094 employed residents and 708 seeking work last month. Jefferson County had 785 unemployed in August.

A person is counted as unemployed if he or she is able to work and has actively sought work in the past month.

Unemployment was lower in both counties on the North Olympic Peninsula in September 2018 — 5.3 percent in Clallam County and 4.9 percent in Jefferson County.

Meanwhile, the statewide unemployment rate remained at 4.6 percent last month despite the loss of 3,100 jobs. The state had added 66,000 jobs since September 2018, officials said.

“Lackluster hiring in the public sector pushed the payroll number into negative territory this month,” said Paul Turek, an Employment Security economist.

“But the upward revision to last month’s payroll numbers together with hiring reported by households suggests our labor market is holding up.”

The national unemployment rate fell from 3.7 percent in August to 3.5 percent in September, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

King County had the lowest unemployment rate in September at 3.0 percent, followed by Snohomish (3.3 percent) and San Juan (3.6 percent) counties.

Ferry County had the highest unemployment at 9.6 percent, followed by Pend Oreille (7.9 percent) and Grays Harbor (6.7 percent) counties.

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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsula dailynews.com.

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