Unemployment dipped on the North Olympic Peninsula last month, and there were 161 fewer job-seekers in Clallam and Jefferson counties, the state Employment Security Department reported.
Clallam County unemployment dropped from a revised 7.7 percent in July to a preliminary 7.4 percent in August, officials said.
Jefferson County’s joblessness rate went from a revised 6.7 percent in July to a preliminary 6.3 percent in August.
The region’s labor market has improved since August 2014, when unemployment was 8.1 percent in Clallam County and 7.7 percent in Jefferson County, officials said.
According to the latest estimates, there were 24,517 employed Clallam County residents and 1,953 job-seekers last month, down from 2,064 who were looking for work in July.
There were 10,563 employed Jefferson County citizens and 716 job-seekers in August, down from 766 who were seeking employment in July, officials said.
Unemployment rates do not factor those who commute to other counties or have stopped looking for work.
A breakdown of the types of jobs gained or lost in Clallam and Jefferson counties was not provided with the monthly labor report.
King and San Juan counties tied for the lowest August unemployment at 3.6 percent.
Ferry County had the state’s highest unemployment rate at 9.5 percent.
Statewide unemployment remained at 5.3 percent in August.
Since August 2014, when state unemployment was 6.2 percent, Washington’s private sector has added 84,800 jobs and the public sector gained about 7,400 jobs, Employment Security officials said.
The national unemployment rate went from 5.3 percent in July to 5.1 percent in August, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
