North Olympic Peninsula unemployment rate continues to improve

Unemployment on the North Olympic Peninsula last month continued an improvement that began earlier this year.

Clallam County’s unemployment rate in April was 5.8 percent, down from 6.1 percent the month before and substantially lower than the 7.8 percent posting in April of last year, the state Department of Employment Security said Tuesday.

Jefferson County’s April unemployment rate was 4.8 percent, down slightly from March’s 4.9 percent rate. Jefferson joblessness was 6.2 percent in April 2003.

Statewide, the unemployment rate increased two-tenths of a percentage point in April to 6.3 percent. Nationally, the rate fell one-tenth of a percentage point to 5.6 percent when adjusted for seasonal factors.