State And Mother Lode Jobless Rate Climbs
Sonora, CA – The state’s and Mother Lode’s unemployment rates climbed in the year’s first month.
California’s unemployment rate increased from 5.1 percent in December to 5.2% in January as employers added 58,100 nonfarm payroll jobs to the economy, according to an Employment Development Department (EDD) report released today. The department noted that job gains accounted for 16.5 percent of the nation’s 353,000 overall job gains in January.
The Mother Lode’s January rate also jumped, with Tuolumne and Calaveras County’s rates rising. In Tuolumne County, the rate rose from 5.3 percent in December to 6.2% in January. Calaveras County’s rate saw a hike from 4.5 percent in December to 5.4% in the first month of the year. Both rates climbed faster than the state.
Ten of California’s 11 industry sectors gained jobs in January, with private education and health services up 18,100. Professional and business services also showed strong month-over-month growth, with 15,700 jobs added. Manufacturing had the biggest decline, with a loss of 800 jobs.
The national jobless rate held steady at 3.7 percent.
