A spike in government jobs drove down unemployment by a half-percent on the North Olympic Peninsula last month.
The jobless rate in Clallam County fell from 9.3 percent in September to 8.8 percent in October, the state Employment Security Department reported Wednesday.
Jefferson County’s unemployment fell from 8.7 percent in September to 8.2 percent last month.
“We’re definitely coming out of the darkest days,” said Elizabeth Scott, regional economist for the state Employment Security Department.
Government jobs
Clallam County gained 240 government jobs, and Jefferson County gained 70 government jobs in October.
Most of those jobs are in schools, Scott said.
Clallam County saw 40 new manufacturing jobs to drive a 10-job gain in the private sector. There were 27,510 employed out of the Clallam County’s 30,180-member work force.
Unemployment figures don’t count the people who have quit looking for work.
Jefferson County took a hit in the private sector last month with a loss of 110 jobs.
There were 11,950 working in Jefferson County in October from a 13,020-member labor force.
State unemployment stayed at 9.1 percent last month. The national jobless rate remained at 9.6 percent.
Still ‘difficult out there’
“It’s still very difficult out there for many, many people,” Scott said.
First-time unemployment claims rose by five in Jefferson County, with 183 last month.
Continued unemployment claims fell to 354 in October — the lowest total in Jefferson County since November 2008.
In Clallam County, first-time unemployment claims rose from 513 in September to 668 in October. Continued claims there rose from 993 to 1,041.
Unemployment has been slowly but steadily dropping on the North Olympic Peninsula since February, when it crested at 11.5 percent in Clallam County and 10.9 percent in Jefferson County.
Clark County in Southwest Washington had the highest unemployment in October, at 13 percent.
Whitman County in Eastern Washington had the lowest at 4.9 percent.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
