The busy summer hiring season is shaping up to be even busier than usual in Kitsap this year.
About 87,800 people were working for employers within Kitsap County in May, according to statistics from the state Employment Security Department. That was the largest number of jobs reported in the county since July of 2009:
Job levels in the county have been elevated all year. About 2,500 more people were working for Kitsap employers in May 2015 than in May 2014. The private sector accounted for about 1,900 of those added jobs, while 600 came from government agencies.
Employment/Unemployment
While jobs are up in the county, overall employment among Kitsap residents continues to underwhelm.
There was some cause for optimism in May as both the labor force (the number of people working or actively seeking work) and employment ticked up by about 1,200 and 750 respectively.
The jump in jobseekers joining the labor force caused the county’s unemployment rate to climb from 5.4 percent in April to 5.7 percent in May.
