More than 500 North Olympic Peninsula residents joined the labor force in November as Clallam and Jefferson County unemployment rates each rose by one tenth of 1 percentage point, state officials said.
Clallam County jobless rate went from a revised 6.4 percent in October to a preliminary 6.5 percent in November, the state Employment Security Department reported Friday.
Jefferson County unemployment went from a revised 5.6 in October to a preliminary 5.7 percent last month, Employment Security said.
Both counties had gains in the number of people working and the number of people seeking jobs.
Clallam County had 27,071 working residents and 1,883 who had sought work in the past month, Employment Security said.
The Clallam County labor force, the combination of workers and job-seekers, grew by 297 in November.
Jefferson County had 12,231 working residents and 741 seeking work. Its labor force grew by 247 in November.
In November 2018, unemployment was 6.2 percent in Clallam County and 5.3 percent in Jefferson County.
State statistics
Meanwhile, the state’s unemployment rate fell last month from 4.5 percent to 4.4 percent.
National unemployment fell from 3.6 percent to 3.5 percent in November, Employment Security said.
Washington’s economy gained 12,200 jobs in November, Employment Security said.
“The November data are an encouraging sign that the state’s labor market is still doing well,” said Paul Turek, Employment Security economist.
“The previous two months had raised concerns about the continued strength of the job market, so it’s good to see it pick back up in time for the holidays.”
King County had the lowest unemployment in the state at 2.3 percent, followed by Snohomish (2.5 percent), San Juan (4.0 percent) and Asotin (4.0 percent) counties.
Ferry County has the highest unemployment in the state at 10.3 percent, followed by Pend Oreille (8.0 percent) and Pacific (7.4 percent) counties.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsula dailynews.com.