Peninsula Daily News and The Associated Press
The unemployment rate on the North Olympic Peninsula dropped last month while it was on the rise statewide.
Clallam County’s unemployment rate dropped from 10.6 percent to 10 percent in May, according to data released today by the Employment Security Department.
Jefferson County’s unemployment rate dropped from 8.6 percent to 8.5 percent in the same month.
Statewide, the unemployment rate rose from 9 percent to 9.4 percent last month.
More than 327,000 people in the state were unemployed and looking for work in May, with about 215,218 receiving unemployment benefits.
In May of last year, the unemployment rate was 7 percent in Clallam County, 5.6 percent in Jefferson County, and 5.5 percent statewide.
The last time the state’s unemployment rate was comparable was in April and March of 1984, when it was 9.3 percent and February of 1984, when it was 9.6 percent.
“The recession has been deep and wide, and we’re likely to see ups and downs for a while,” said Greg Weeks, director of the department’s Labor Market and Economic Analysis unit, in a prepared statement.
