Unemployment in Clallam County soared to 10.9 percent in January, jumping 2.3 percent from December.
In alarming figures released by the state Economic Security Department on Tuesday, 3,350 Clallam County residents were out of work last month, compared to 2,620, or 8.6 percent, in December.
Jefferson County didn’t fare much better. Its unemployment rate jumped from 7 percent to 9.3 percent in January.
The preliminary data show that 1,300 Jefferson County residents were unemployed last month, compared to 990 in December.
Unemployment in Clallam County reached 7.9 percent in November and climbed to 8.6 percent in December.
By comparison, unemployment was 7.3 percent in Clallam County in January 2008.
Jefferson’s numbers
It was 5.2 percent in Jefferson County, and 4.5 percent statewide a year ago.
Statewide, the jobless rate climbed from 7.1 in December to 7.8 percent in January.
Washington state’s unemployment rate surpassed the national average, which is now 7.6 percent, for the first time since December of 2006.
The state’s highest unemployment rate on record was 12.2 percent in November 1982.
Linda Rotmark, Clallam County Economic Development Council executive director, told the Peninsula Daily News in November that she would “get a little nervous when [unemployment] gets to 8 percent.”
Rotmark was out of the office on Tuesday and could not be reached by cell phone or home phone.
Bill Wise, coordinator of Team Jefferson, and Katherine Baril, director of Economic and Community Development for Washington State University in Jefferson County, could not be reached for comment.
Manufacturing
Statewide, manufacturing jobs took the biggest hit, losing 4.9 percent. The information and construction sectors were down 3.3 and 2.4 percent, respectively, in January.
Meanwhile, government jobs rose by 5.8 percent in Washington state. It was the only sector besides financial activities (0.4 percent) and leisure and hospitality (0.2 percent) to post a positive month.
Pend Oreille County in the northeast corner of the state had the highest unemployment in the state, 13.9 percent, followed by Ferry County, 13.8 percent, and Cowlitz County, 13.6 percent.
Whitman County, home of Washington State University in Pullman, had the lowest jobless figure at 5 percent.
King County had the second-lowest jobless rate at 6.7 percent, followed by Kitsap County at 7.5 percent.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
