Unemployment dipped ever so slightly on the North Olympic Peninsula last month.

The jobless rate in May was 8.9 percent in Jefferson County and 9.6 percent in Clallam County, according to preliminary numbers released by the state Employment Security Department on Tuesday.

In April, Jefferson County unemployment rate 9.1 percent. and Clallam County’s was 9.7 percent.

Jefferson County’s pool of unemployed job-seekers fell from 1,180 to 1,150 in May as the labor force grew by 10 jobs to 12,980.

The service sector added 180 new jobs and government added 90 in Jefferson County last month.

Clallam County’s labor force shrunk by 80 jobs — from 30,130 in April to 30,050 in May — but the number of job seekers also was lower, from 2,920 to 2,890.

The service sector added 360 new jobs in Clallam County and government added 210 jobs last month.

Jefferson County’s unemployment rate peaked at 10.9 percent in February.

Clallam County’s jobless rate crested at 11.5 percent the same month.

Elizabeth Scott, regional economist for the Olympic Consortium, was out of the office on Tuesday and could not be reached by cell phone.

New unemployment claims, a key indicator in the overall jobless picture, fell from 474 to 439 last month in Clallam County.

Jefferson County’s new unemployment claims dropped from 192 in April to 139 in May.

New unemployment claims, a key indicator in the overall jobless picture, fell from 192 in April to 139 in May.

Clallam County’s new unemployment claims dropped from 474 in April to 439 last month.

State jobless rate

Meanwhile, the state’s jobless rate fell from 9.3 percent to 9.1 percent last month, with 8,600 new jobs added.

Dave Wallace, chief economist at the Employment Security Department, cautioned that because of the temporary nature of U.S. Census jobs, “it’s a mixed or neutral job picture.”

He told the Associated Press that the private sector saw a net gain of only 200 jobs, which is “pretty much treading water.”

“At this stage, we’d certainly like to see more growth than that,” he said.

The national unemployment rate fell from 9.9 to 9.7 percent in May.

San Juan County and Whitman County in eastern Washington state tied for the lowest unemployment among Washington’s 39 counties at 6 percent last month.

On the other end of the spectrum, Clark County in southwest Washington and Ferry County in northeast Washington each had 13-percent jobless rates in May.

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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.