The California Employment Development Department reported on Friday that Lake County's March unemployment rate was 19.5 percent, up slightly from the adjusted February rate of 19.4 percent but down from 19.8 percent in January. Lake County's March 2009 unemployment rate was 15.6 percent.
Statewide, unemployment in California increased in March to 12.6 percent, up from 12.5 percent in February. The Employment Development Department reported that the state's March 2009 unemployment rate was 10.6 percent.
The number of people unemployed in California was 2,308,000 – up by 31,000 over the month, and up by 362,000 compared with March of last year, the agency reported.
In Lake County, the 25,500-member labor force saw 4,980 people out of work in March. Employment Development Department statistics showed that the county's labor force had grown by about 130 people over February, when 4,930 people were unemployed.
Nationwide, March unemployment was 9.7 percent, which was unchanged from February, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The March 2009 nationwide unemployment rate was 8.6 percent.
Lake County is currently ranked No. 50 out of California's 58 counties when it comes to unemployment, based on the Friday report.
The Employment Development Department report noted that the lowest unemployment in the state was found in Mono County, which had an 8.1 percent unemployment rate, while Imperial County, with 27 percent unemployment, had the highest rate.
Lake's neighboring counties posted the following rates and state rankings: Glenn, 18.1 percent, No. 42; Mendocino, 12.9 percent, No. 21; Napa, 10.7 percent, No. 9; Sonoma, 11.3 percent, No. 12; and Yolo, 14.7 percent, No. 28. Of those counties, Napa and Yolo showed slight improvements by percentage, and Sonoma showed no change from February.
In specific areas of Lake County, the lowest unemployment was reported in Upper Lake, at 10.3 percent, with the highest rate – 28.4 percent – found in Clearlake Oaks, the Employment Development Department reported.
The following unemployment rates were reported for other areas of the county: Nice, 27.9 percent; city of Clearlake, 27.5 percent; Lucerne, 20.5 percent; Kelseyville, 19.9 percent; Middletown, 19.8; city of Lakeport, 18.8 percent; Cobb, 17.5 percent; Lower Lake, 16.5 percent; Hidden Valley Lake, 16.2 percent; and north Lakeport, 15.6 percent.
The Employment Development Department said that nonfarm payroll jobs increased by 4,200 in March, based on data from two separate surveys.
The agency said California has gained jobs in each of the first three months of 2010, with gains over the period totaling 32,400 jobs. Nonfarm jobs in California totaled 13,842,000 in March, an increase of 4,200 over the month, according to a survey of businesses that is larger and less variable statistically.
The year-over-year change – March 2009 to March 2010 – showed a decrease of 458,400 jobs, down 3.2 percent, according to the report.
One of the two surveys used, a federal study done with a smaller sample than the state's survey of employers, showed an increase in the number of employed people during the month. It estimated the number of Californians holding jobs in March was 15,938,000, an increase of 53,000 from February, but down 463,000 from the employment total in March of last year.
The Employment Development Department report on payroll employment in the nonfarm industries of
California totaled 13,842,000 in March, a net gain of 4,200 jobs since the February survey. This followed a gain of 2,800 jobs, as revised, in February.
The report noted that five categories – mining and logging; manufacturing; educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; and other services – added jobs over the month, gaining 13,400 jobs. Educational and health services posted the largest increase over the month, adding 6,100 jobs.
Meanwhile, five categories – construction; information; financial activities; professional and business services; and government – reported job declines this month, down 9,200 jobs.
Information posted the largest decline over the month, down by 2,600 jobs. One sector – trade, transportation and utilities – recorded no change. One industry division, educational and health services, posted job gains over the year, adding 26,400 jobs (a 1.5 percent increase).
The Friday report said 10 categories – mining and logging; construction; manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities; information; financial activities; professional and business services; leisure
and hospitality; other services; and government – posted job declines over the year, down 484,800 jobs.
The report noted that the largest decline both numerically and based on percentage was found in construction employment, down by 108,300 jobs – a decline of 16.3 percent.
In related data, the EDD reported that there were 768,583 people receiving regular unemployment insurance benefits during the March survey week. When federal unemployment insurance extensions are included, the total is 1,659,358 people receiving benefits. That's compared with 714,145 in February and 858,778 last year.
At the same time, the agency said new claims for unemployment insurance were 70,450 in March, compared with 63,766 in February and 79,979 in March of last year.
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