Tag Archives: unemployment rate

Kitsap entered fall with more jobs and a growing labor force

More jobs are available in Kitsap this fall than in previous years, according to the state Employment Security Department.

But a growing labor force has contributed to a higher unemployment rate in the county.

Jobs in Kitsap

chartimgA preliminary estimate showed 89,600 non-farm jobs in Kitsap in October, an increase of 900 from October 2015.

 

Of the new jobs, 700 were created in the government sector while 200 were added in the private sector.

The state has consistently reported more jobs in Kistap this year than in 2015, and significantly more jobs than in 2014. There  were about 2,600 more jobs in the county in October 2016 than in October 2014.

Employment/unemployment

Nearly 111,500 Kitsap residents were employed in October, according to Employment Security, marking an increase of 1,460 from October of last year.

The county’s labor force — the total number of people working or seeking work — grew by more than 2,400 over the same period, topping 118,300 in October.

Growth in the labor force has contributed to a higher unemployment rate in the county this year compared with 2015.chartimg-1

For statistical purposes, people are only counted as “unemployed” if they are actively seeking work. So as more people join the labor force and look for work, it can cause the unemployment rate to rise.

That appears to be the case in Kitsap, where the unemployment rate rose from 5.1 percent in October of 2015 to 5.8 percent in October of 2016, despite more residents becoming employed.

County job numbers, employment improved in 2015

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More Kitsap residents were employed and more people were working at jobs inside the county in 2015, according to preliminary year-end numbers released by the Employment Security Department.  

Kitsap jobs

An average of 87,600 people worked for employers within the county last year, a 3.7 percent uptick from 2014. It was also a slight increase from Kitsap’s pre-recession high of 87,400, reported in 2006.

Job growth came from both the private and government sectors, which increased employment by 2.7 percent and 5.4 percent respectively.

Here’s a graphical look at job trends in Kitsap:

Employment/unemployment

Overall employment among Kitsap residents remains lower than before the recession, but there were signs of improvement last year.

0827_KSLO_Wash-625x417The labor force – the total number of people working or seeking work – appeared to stabilize over the past three years, after declining through the recession. Kitsap’s labor force averaged 113,580 in 2015.

Average employment rose in 2014 and 2015, reaching 107,200 last year.

An average of 6,382 Kitsap residents were counted as unemployed last year, though the number only included people who were actively seeking work.

The county’s unemployment rate has fallen steadily since 2010, reaching 5.6 percent in 2015. This was partially due to declines in the labor force.

Here’s a graphical look at employment trends in Kitsap:

Strong jobs numbers carry through February

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Kitsap County enjoyed a strong start to the year on the employment front, with more jobs and more county residents working in January than in previous years.

That momentum carried through February, with solid, if less robust, employment numbers.

Jobs in Kitsap

The number of people working for Kitsap employers in February dipped slightly from January, but was still 2.5 percent higher than in February 2014, according to preliminary data from the Employment Security Department. 

Both private companies and government agencies in Kitsap employed more people in February than at the same time in 2014.

Here’s a graphical look at jobs in Kitsap County:

 

Labor force and employment

Overall employment numbers for Kitsap residents were less encouraging. haggen

The labor force — the total number of county residents working or actively looking for work — shrank between January to February, and was smaller than in February 2014.

Employment followed a similar trend, sliding from about 108,800 Kitsap resident working in January to 108,070 in February.

Here’s a graphical look at labor force and employment trends: