Kitsap County had the second-lowest unemployment rate in western Washington at the end of September.
At 6.8%, Kitsap County was lower than nearby King County at 7% and Jefferson County at 7.8%.
Kitsap County did, along with the rest of the state, experience a jump in initial unemployment claims the week ending October 10, There were 585 initial claims, up from the prior week's total of 369. The state's largest counties also saw an increase in initial claims that week, King and Pierce counties by 45%, Snohomish County by 52% and Spokane County by 61%.
The state added 2,400 jobs in September but at the same time saw an increase of 44.1% in initial unemployment claims. The state's overall umemployment rate fell from 8.4% to 7.8% according to the Employment Security Department.
“Payroll growth slowed markedly in September,” Paul Turek, economist for the ESD, said according to Bainbridge Island Review. “A shift to remote learning apparently led to less government hiring than usual this time of year, which showed up largely in local education.”
The ESD has now paid more than $11.6 billion in claims to more than one million residents since the pandemic began.
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