PORT ANGELES — The North Olympic Peninsula saw slight rises in unemployment last month but remained lower than the rates reported at the same time last year.
Clallam County unemployment moved from a revised 6.8 percent in September to a preliminary 7.0 percent in October, the state Employment Security department reported Tuesday.
The Jefferson County jobless rate went from a revised 6.3 percent in September to a preliminary 6.4 percent last month, according to the latest estimates.
Clallam County had 24,561 working people and 1,841 seeking a job in October.
Jefferson County had 10,122 employed residents and 693 looking for work, Employment Security said.
Unemployment rates do not factor those who commute to other counties for work or have quit looking for a job.
The general trend remains positive for Clallam and Jefferson counties, where jobless rates in October 2014 were 8.4 percent and 8.2 percent, respectively.
September’s jobless rates were the lowest since 2008 on the North Olympic Peninsula.
In October, statewide unemployment remained at 5.2 percent and national unemployment went from 5.1 percent to 5.0 percent last month.
Ferry County had the highest unemployment in the state last month at 8.8 percent, while King and Whitman counties tied for the lowest at 4.1 percent.
