Unemployment increased in the North Olympic Peninsula in January, as it did statewide, with Clallam County at 11.4 percent — a 1.5 percent rise from December — and Jefferson County at 10.6 percent — a 1.7 percent hike.
The Peninsula numbers were higher than any monthly totals reported in 2009.
Both counties experienced their highest jobless rates in March last year, with 11 percent in Clallam County and 9.4 percent in Jefferson County.
More jobs in state
Statewide, an estimated 12,400 jobs were added in January, the first monthly gain in employment since November 2008.
Even so, the state unemployment rate increased slightly to an estimated 9.3 percent from December’s revised rate of 9.2 percent, according to preliminary data released by the state Employment Security Department on Tuesday.
“It’s encouraging to see jobs finally coming back,” Employment Security Commissioner Karen Lee said in an e-mailed statement.
“I hope it signals the beginning of a job-full recovery, not a job-less recovery.”
Clallam County’s December jobless rate originally was reported at 10.1 percent, but was revised to 9.9. percent.
January’s increase means that an additional 480 were out of work — a total of 3,480 compared to 3,000 in December.
Jefferson County’s December rate originally was reported as 8.8 percent, but was revised to 8.9.
That means that an additional 230 people — a total of 1,390 compared to 1,160 in December — were unemployed.
A year ago, the unemployment rate was 10 percent in Clallam County and 9.1 percent in Jefferson County.
Statewide, December’s unemployment rate was originally reported as 9.5 percent, but it was revised down to 9.2 percent.
The highest rate in the state since the mid-1970s was in November 1982, when unemployment hit 12.2 percent.
Job gains
The industries that saw the greatest job gains included retail trade, which added 3,000 jobs; educational and health services, up 2,800; and construction, which gained 2,700 jobs.
Leisure and hospitality gained 1,600 jobs, and professional and business services added 1,000, as did manufacturing.
Other gains included information, up 900; wholesale trade, up 800; and aerospace and parts manufacturing, up 600.
Some industries still felt losses in January: 900 jobs were lost in transportation, warehousing and utilities, and the number of jobs in other services fell by 800.
Washington has lost nearly 108,000 jobs since January 2007, a 3.7 percent decline. Nationally, employment declined by 3.1 percent during the same time.
About 360,000 people were still looking for work in Washington in January, and more than 305,000 people received unemployment benefits.
The highest unemployment rate in the state in January was 16.2 percent in Ferry County in the northeast. Whitman County in the east had the lowest mark at 6.2 percent.
The largest county, King, was at 8.8 percent.
