Kitsap County saw incremental job growth through May this year, while overall employment among county residents remained more robust.
Kitsap jobs
Kitsap County employers provided an estimated 88,900 jobs in May, according to preliminary numbers from the state Employment Security Department. That marked an increase of 1,300 from May 2015.
Through the first five months of the year, the number of jobs in Kitsap was up 1.8 percent compared with the same period of 2015.
The largest gain came in the public sector, where jobs increased by 3.5 percent. Private sector jobs increased by less than 1 percent.
Here’s a graphical look at Kitsap job trends:
Employment/unemployment
Overall employment among Kitsap residents has been healthier so far this year than last.
The county’s labor force (the total number of people working or seeking work) numbered 117,400 in May, up 2,568 from May of 2015. And about 2,600 more county residents were working last month than in May 2015.
Kitsap’s unemployment rate hovered at 5.7 percent.
Here’s a graphical look at employment trends:
