California Hits New Record Low Jobless Rate
Sonora, CA — California’s unemployment rate fell to a new record low of 3.9% in October down from 4 percent in September.
The California Employment Development Department released the figures on Friday that show the state added 23,600 nonfarm payroll jobs last month. The department says October’s gains extend California’s record jobs expansion to 116 months.
For a second straight month, the Mother Lode had a better showing than the state even though the rates went up. Tuolumne County’s inched to 3.6 percent last month up from 3.4 percent in September with 780 out of the 21,680-workforce unemployed. Calaveras County’s 3 percent rate in September climbed to 3.2 last month, leaving 700 out of the county’s workforce of 21,610 without a job.
San Mateo County had the lowest rate at 1.8 percent. The highest unemployment in the state was Imperial County at 21.2 percent. Gains were widespread across several industry sectors with education and health services increased by 6,500 jobs. The biggest loss of jobs was in professional and business services with a decrease of 5,600.
California’s record-low unemployment rate in October contrasts a 0.1 percentage point rise in the national unemployment rate to 3.6 percent for the month.
