Nov. 8--While there are signs the economy is getting back on its feet, the prospect of recovery in the job market is still way off in the horizon.

In September, Whatcom County's unemployment rate stood at 7.9 percent, which is significantly lower than the state's 9.2 percent. Whatcom's rate is also much lower than the U.S., which was 10.2 percent in October. It's the first time nation has seen double-digit unemployment since 1983.

Even though this area has a lower rate than the nation, nearly 8,500 local residents were actively seeking employment in September, and many more -- perhaps thousands more -- have either given up looking for work or are underemployed, cobbling together an income with a part-time job.

Whatcom and Washington's unemployment rates for October will be released later this month.

In the coming months, those with a job may get a sense that the economy is returning to normal, while those looking for work will find 2010 a very difficult year, because economists are expecting very little employment growth.

"We may have turned the (economy) corner, but this is going to be a very wide corner and job growth always lags behind," said Joe Giannamore, a regional labor economist for the Washington State Employment Security Department. He predicts local unemployment to still be around 8 percent by the end of 2010.

The overall job market may look stagnant, but Giannamore expects to see pockets of growth locally. With an aging population, demand for health care workers should rise. Education might be another growth industry, because of increased enrollment as people continue to retrain and get new skills in a competitive job environment.

In other parts of the private sector, it may come down to how well companies adjust to changing circumstances. For example, if China and some of the other Pacific Rim countries continue to shrug off the global recession and increase spending on products, companies in Whatcom County and the rest of Washington could benefit through exporting.

The technology sector could also be a place for job growth, said Paul Grey, a local business consultant and a board member of the Technology Alliance Group. He believes much of the job growth locally will be small- and medium-size firms that have established technology, while firms with speculative technology may suffer until the economy has recovered.

"If a company can successfully come forward with a technology solution, it will have gone through a tougher screening process during this downturn than when the economy is going well," Grey said.