Unemployment in Jefferson County dropped more than an entire percentage point in July.
The jobless rate went from 8.5 percent in June to 7.4 percent last month, according to numbers released by the state Employment Security Department on Tuesday.
That reflects a similar trend in Clallam County, where the unemployment rate dropped from 9.8 percent to 9 percent in July.
Statewide, the unemployment rate dropped from 9.2 percent to 9.1 percent in July.
Nationally, the jobless rate dropped from 9.5 percent to 9.4 percent in the same month.
Jefferson County had 230 more people employed in July than in June.
But the number of new unemployment insurance claims also increased slightly in Jefferson County last month, from 170 in June to 176 in July.
The number of new claims from Clallam County was 640 in July and 871 in June.
Claims down
At the same time, the number of workers on unemployment insurance dropped in Jefferson County from 509 to 473 in July.
In Clallam County, that figure increased from 1,492 in June to 1,616 in July.
The largest employment increase in that county was in the natural resources, mining and construction category, which saw 70 new jobs.
In Jefferson County, the job category to see the highest increase was the service industry, which saw 40 new jobs.
There are still 570 fewer jobs in that industry than there were in July 2008.
Natural resources, mining and construction also saw an increase of 10 jobs in Jefferson County.
Tess Camilon, ESD regional labor economist, referred to the increase in those jobs, particularly in construction, in both counties as a good sign.
“To me, that’s a good sign that things are starting to improve a little bit,” she said.
Jobs welcome
Camilon added that construction is still being “hammered” when compared to last year.
Despite the increases, there were 170 fewer construction- and natural resources-related jobs in Jefferson County and 220 fewer jobs in Clallam County in July when compared to the same month last year.
The only job category to drop in Jefferson County was government, which lost 60 jobs.
Clallam County also saw the largest decrease in government, with 80 fewer jobs.
The county also lost 10 jobs in the transportation, warehousing and utilities category.
Previous levels
While jobless rates on the Peninsula continue their downward trend from their peak in March — when Clallam County reached 11 percent — the number of unemployed workers has yet to return to levels seen before the recession got into full swing.
In July 2008, unemployment was at 6.8 percent in Clallam County and 5.3 percent in Jefferson County.
Camilon said she expects the jobless rate to increase at times before the end of the year.
“I think it’s far from being over,” she said.
“We are still in for some peaks.”
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
