PORT ANGELES — Unemployment in Washington grew in January, including in Clallam and Jefferson counties, according to new data from the Department of Labor.
Washington’s economy decreased by 3,600 jobs in January for an unemployment rate of 4.6 percent, according to DOL, and on the North Olympic Peninsula non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates were 7.1 percent in Clallam County and 6.8 percent in Jefferson County.
King County had the lowest unemployment rate in the state with 4.4 percent, and Ferry County in Northeastern Washington had the highest with 11.1 percent.
Those numbers are typical for the winter season, said Jim Vleming, regional economist with the Employment Security Department. Vleming said winter months typically see lower employment and that employment increases over the summer.
“Basically those were spread across all industries. That was a seasonal shaking off the December season. Things will bounce back over February and March once winter is gone,” Vleming said.
DOL estimates Clallam County’s civilian labor force to be 29,180 workers with roughly 2,059 people unemployed. Jefferson County’s civilian labor force is estimated at 12,439 with approximately 680 unemployed.
Both counties’ unemployment rate is higher than at the same time last year. Clallam County’s unemployment rate was 6.1 percent in January 2023 and Jefferson County was 5.7 percent.
Unemployment reached as high as 8.7 percent in Clallam County and 8.2 percent in Jefferson County in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the highest number in the past five years.
Vleming noted that many rural counties like Clallam and Jefferson were hit hard by the 2009 recession and have yet to recover. Unemployment reached as high as 11.7 percent in Clallam County in 2010 and 10.8 percent in Jefferson County in 2010 and again in 2013.
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Reporter Peter Segall can be reached at peter.segall@peninsuladailynews.com.
