State And Mother Lode Unemployment Increase
Sonora, CA – The state’s and Mother Lode’s unemployment rates jumped slightly in February.
California’s unemployment rate increased from 5.2 percent in January to 5.3 percent in February, with a loss of 3,400 nonfarm payroll jobs, according to an Employment Development Department (EDD) report released Friday. California has gained 3,037,600 jobs since the pre-pandemic peak in February 2020, which averages 66,035 per month.
The Mother Lode followed the state’s lead. In Tuolumne County, the rate climbed from 6.2% in the first month of the year to 6.3 percent in the second month. Calaveras County saw a rise of 5.5 percent in February from 5.4% in January.
Four of California’s 11 industry sectors gained jobs in February, with private education and health services up 15,400. Construction showed the biggest loss of 9,600 jobs, due to winter storms. According to the EDD, trade, transportation, and utilities followed with -7,300 as the nation saw lower consumer discretionary spending and demand.
The U.S. unemployment rate rose 0.2 percent to 3.9 percent, the highest since January 2022.
