Employment/unemployment
The May employment report for Kitsap contained at least one promising nugget.
Kitsap’s labor force (the number of people either employed or looking for work) grew by an estimated 740 people between April and May, according to the state Employment Security Department. Employment among Kitsap residents didn’t grow over the same period, in fact 140 fewer people were working in May.
Still, it can be seen as encouraging that more people are seeking jobs, rather than dropping out of the labor force.
The slight drop in employment coupled with the rise in the labor force spiked Kitsap’s non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate to 6.1 percent (see chart above). Unemployment in April was 5.4 percent.
The statewide labor force also grew in May, while Washington employers added a modest 4,000 jobs. The seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for Washington held steady at 6.1 percent.
“This is the lowest monthly job gain so far this year,” state labor economist Paul Turek said in a news release. “Meanwhile, our workforce grew, but the unemployment rate stayed the same because the proportion of job seekers who got work about equaled those who did not.”
Washington employers have added an average of 6,560 jobs each month this year.
Kitsap jobs
Kitsap companies employed 200 more workers in May than in April, and 200 more than in May of 2013.
The private sector added an estimated 400 employees between April and May. Government jobs dwindled by 200.
The full labor area report for May is below:
My UI benefits ran out in Dec 2013. That does not mean that I have quit looking for work or that I have stopped reporting my searches to the unemployment office. For all of those whose benefits have expired and quit reporting, you are skewing the numbers. You are considered to have quit looking for a job.