Unemployment rates inched up very slightly on the North Olympic Peninsula last month, remaining higher than the statewide average.
Clallam County’s jobless rate went from a revised 7.8 percent in May to a preliminary 7.9 percent in June, the state Employment Security Department reported Tuesday.
Jefferson County unemployment rose slightly to a preliminary 7.2 percent in June from 7.1 percent in May.
Both counties had slight dips in unemployment rates in February, March and April.
In June, there were 25,111 Clallam County residents working — down from 25,213 in May — and 2,165 looking for work, an increase of 35 from the previous month, Employment Security said.
Jefferson County had 10,655 working in June compared to 10,639 in May. There were 828 people seeking work in June, compared to 813 in May.
Employment Security considers a person unemployed if he or she is out of work, is available for work and has actively sought work in the past month.
Workforce size
The size of the Clallam County workforce dipped in June. The workforce went from 27,343 in May to 27,276 in June.
Jefferson County labor forces grew modestly from 11,452 in May to 11,483 in June.
King County had the lowest unemployment in the state at 4.3 percent in June.
Ferry County had the highest unemployment at 9.8 percent.
Washington state lost 500 jobs from May to June, but its unemployment rate is hovering at 5.8 percent for the seventh straight month.
The national unemployment rate for June was 4.9 percent.
Unemployment rates at the county level are not seasonally adjusted because the sample size is too small to accommodate the additional analysis, officials said.
