The North Olympic Peninsula added more job-seekers than jobs last month as unemployment climbed to 8.8 percent in Clallam County — the highest in three years — and 7.0 percent in Jefferson County, state officials said.
Clallam County’s unemployment went from a revised 8.0 percent in January to a preliminary 8.8 percent in February, the state Employment Security Department reported Tuesday.
The 8.8 percent jobless rate was the highest in Clallam County since January 2016, when unemployment was 9.0 percent, according to data available at esd.wa.gov/labormarketinfo.
Jefferson County unemployment rose from 6.6 percent in January to a preliminary 7.0 percent in February, the state said.
The 7.0 percent jobless rate was the highest in Jefferson County since February 2018, when unemployment was 7.4 percent.
Clallam County had 26,181 working residents last month and 2,534 who were unemployed.
People are counted as unemployed if they are available to work and have actively sought work in the past month.
Jefferson County had 11,598 working residents in February and 871 seeking work, state officials said.
The two-county labor force grew in February with 87 new workers and 255 new job seekers, Employment Security said.
Meanwhile, the statewide unemployment rate remained at 4.5 percent last month while national unemployment dropped from 4.0 percent in January to 3.8 percent in February, the state said.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that Washington employers shed 8,700 jobs in February but gained 64,400 jobs over the year.
“After two strong months of payroll growth, February’s employment numbers are disappointing” said Paul Turek, an Employment Security economist.
“The result was not mirrored in the unemployment rate numbers, however, perhaps making it not as dire as it seems.”
The three industry sectors with the largest employment gains in the state last year were education and health services (16,900 new jobs), manufacturing (10,600 new jobs), and leisure and hospitality (10,300 new jobs).
Initial unemployment claims, another economic indicator, also rose in Clallam and Jefferson counties last month.
Clallam County had 319 initial claims in January and 445 in February. Jefferson County had 88 initial claims in January and 118 in February, state officials said.
Employment Security paid unemployment insurance benefits to 73,688 people in February.
King County had the lowest unemployment in the state in February at 3.5 percent, followed by Snohomish (4.1 percent) and Whitman (4.3 percent) counties.
Ferry County had the highest unemployment in the state at 15.2 percent, followed by Yakima (9.9 percent) and Okanogan (9.5 percent) counties.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
