The holiday hiring
season arrived in earnest in November.
About 2,200 more Kitsap residents were employed last month than in October, according to a monthly report from the Employment Security Department.
The jump isn’t unusual, as companies tend to hire seasonal workers during the holidays (the JCPenney in Silverdale, for example, told me they brought on 70 employees before Black Friday).
About 220 more people were listed as unemployed but actively seeking jobs November. Kitsap’s labor force (the total number of people employed or looking for jobs) grew by 2,450. The state’s labor force also grew significantly in November.
That’s a good sign to economists. If people are looking for work, it usually means they’re optimistic they’ll find work.
Growth in the labor force demonstrates “ongoing faith in a recovering economy,” state labor economist Paul Turek said.
Here’s a graphical look at labor trends in Kitsap over the last three years:
