Mother Lode Unemployment Rate Still Relatively Low
Sacramento, CA – According to the latest figures, unemployment rates remain low in most parts of the Golden State, including in the Mother Lode.
The California Employment Development Department (EDD) today reports that unemployment held steady in June at a record low of 4.2 percent for a third month in a row. The agency reports that state employers added 800 nonfarm payroll jobs; further adding that since February 2010, when economic expansion began, they have added over 2.9 million jobs. Last year in June, the statewide unemployment rate was at 4.8 percent.
Tuolumne County with 20,550 employed and 1,030 seekers in the job market, came in with a 4.8 percent unemployment rate. For Calaveras County, which recorded 20,690 employed and 900 not, unemployment was 4.2 percent. While the figures are relatively low as reported here in May Tuolumne County’s unemployment rate was 4.1 percent and in Calaveras County it was 3.5 percent.
According to the June figures, Imperial County recorded the highest unemployment rate at 18 percent. Four Bay Area counties all came in at under three percent: San Mateo at 2.5; San Francisco at 2.6; Marin at 2.7; and Santa Clara at 2.9.
Statewide Job Growth, Decline Sectors
There were month-over job gains in June in four of California’s eleven industry sectors, totaling 16,200 jobs. Educational and health services reported the largest increase with a gain of 8,000; information was up 4,600; government increased by 3,500; professional and business services added 100.
Seven industries reported job losses over the month. Leisure and hospitality reported the largest decrease with a loss of 4,000 jobs; construction was down 2,900; trade, transportation and utilities decreased by 2,600; financial activities declined by 2,300. Other industries with job declines in June were manufacturing, other services and mining and logging.
Year-over-year from June 2017 to June 2018, nonfarm payroll employment in California rose by 1.6 percent, adding 269,100 jobs. Nine industry sectors added a total of 272,800 jobs during this period. The largest job gains were in educational and health services, up 2.9 percent with 75,800 jobs; professional and business services, up 1.6 percent with 42,200; and leisure and hospitality, up 2.1 percent with 41,700.
Other sectors adding jobs over the year were construction, trade, transportation and utilities, government, information, manufacturing and financial activities. Conversely, two sectors experienced job losses: other services lost 3,400 jobs; mining and logging were down 300.
Some National Stats
Nationwide, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the national unemployment rate in June of this year rose .2 to four percent from the previous month but came in .3 lower than June of 2017.
Unemployment rates in June were lower in nine states; higher in three — and stable in 38 and the District of Columbia. Ten states had jobless rate decreases from a year earlier and 40 states and the District had little or no change.
With regard to year-over-year stats, in June 32 states recorded increases in nonfarm payroll jobs. California came in second for the largest job gains after Texas with 269,100, versus the latter’s 359,500; Florida followed in third with 170,500. The largest percentage of jobs gains occurred in Idaho and Utah, up three percent each; Texas was up 2.9 percent.
