WASHINGTON: Island County unemployment fell 0.2 percent, to 6.5 percent, in February compared to January, according to numbers released last week by the state Employment Security Department. That 6.5 percent equates to 2,130 people seeking but not finding work.
The labor force totaled 32,733. In February 2015, 7.0 percent of the Island County population, or 2,224 people, were unemployed. The Employment Security Department uses figures for Oak Harbor alone as those for the entire county. February numbers were the latest available. Statewide, March unemployment held steady at 5.8 percent, though Washington got 9,000 new jobs. U.S. unemployment in March stood at 5 percent.
