Island County's non-adjusted unemployment rate vaulted to 9.1 percent in March, more than a point higher than February's 8 percent level.

"That's a pretty big jump," said Joe Giannamore, a regional labor economist with the state Employment Security Department. "It jumped like that in a lot of counties."

It's the highest rate measured in Island County since the state Employment Security Department started releasing statistics for the county in 1990. In January of 2005, the rate was 8.5 percent. A year ago, the rate was 5.3 percent.

By comparison, the state's non-seasonally adjusted rate was 9.7 in March. The seasonally adjusted rate, which takes into account the unemployment expected in the season, was 9.2 percent.

Skagit County had a non-adjusted rate of 10.8 percent, Snohomish County's rate was 9.7, while Whatcom County had 9 percent unemployment.

The unemployment rates don't include members of the military. Island County's 9.1 percent rate would be less if it took into account the 7,800 or so military personnel at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station.

Giannamore said the increase in unemployment was expected due to the continued worldwide recession. He expects the unemployment rate, which is a lagging economic indicator, to continue to rise for at least three or four more months.

"We could see 10 percent in Island County," he said.

Yet there is some good news in the new statistics. The number of jobs in Island County, Giannamore said, actually increased by 240 positions in March. A third of those were in state and local government.

Jobs in the county could increase while the jobless rate grows, Giannamore explained, because new jobs didn't keep up with population growth or the number of new participants in the workforce. Also, some Island County residents may have lost jobs in other counties.

Contact Whidbey News Times Assistant editor Jessie Stensland at jstensland@whidbeynewstimes.com or 360.675.6611 ext. 5056.

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