The North Olympic Peninsula added 260 jobs in March as unemployment dipped slightly in Clallam and Jefferson counties, the state Employment Security Department reported Tuesday.
Clallam County added 210 jobs, and the jobless rate dropped from a revised 9.6 percent in February to a preliminary 9.0 percent in March.
Jefferson County gained 50 jobs as unemployment dipped from a revised 9.2 percent in February to a preliminary 8.8 percent in March, according to the new estimates.
Both counties experienced job growth in back-to-back months after shedding a combined 410 positions in January.
In March, Clallam County gained 170 jobs in service trades, which accounted for the bulk of post-holiday losses in January.
No sector in Clallam County lost jobs in March.
Clallam County had 2,470 active job-seekers included in a 27,480-member labor force.
Unemployment estimates do not count those who have stopped looking for a job or commute to another county for work.
Meanwhile, Jefferson County added 60 private sector jobs while losing 10 government jobs last month.
There were 990 Jefferson County residents seeking work included in its 11,320-member labor force.
Unemployment in both counties is slowly trending down over the year.
Clallam and Jefferson counties each had a 10 percent unemployment rate in March 2013.
King County last month had the lowest jobless rate among the 39 counties at 5.2 percent, while Ferry County’s 12.8 percent unemployment rate was the highest.
The statewide unemployment rate remained at 6.3 percent in March, while the national jobless rate stayed at 6.7 percent, according to Employment Security and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
