LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – April brought some good news for Lake County on the employment front, with the unemployment rate dropping over the previous month.

The latest report from the California Employment Development Department put Lake County's unemployment rate at 18.2 percent, down 1.3 percent over March and down 0.2 percent from April 2010. That's the lowest local rate since October 2010.

California's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 11.7 percent, down 0.6 percent from March, according to Dennis Mullins of the Employment Development Department's Labor Market Information Division. The April 2010 unemployment rate was 12.4 percent.

The number of people unemployed in California was 2,143,000 – down by 33,000 over the month, and down by 111,000 compared with April of last year, according to the report.

Nonfarm payroll jobs increased by 8,900 in March, according to data from two separate surveys the Employment Development Department uses to compile the report.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics said the unemployment rate increased in April, rising from 8.8 percent to 9.0 percent. During that month, the agency said 39 states reported unemployment rate decreases, three states and the District of Columbia registered rate increases, and eight states had no rate change. The national unemployment rate was 9.8 percent in April 2010.

Lake's unemployment rate ranked it No. 52 among the state's 58 counties. It was ranked No. 49 in March.

The labor force in April included 24,270 people, with 4,410 unemployed. In March the workforce had 24,510 people in it 4,780 people out of work, according to state statistics.

Statewide, Marin had the lowest unemployment, 7.6 percent, and Imperial the highest, with 27.9 percent, the report showed.

Lake's neighboring counties registered the following unemployment rates and statewide ranks: Colusa, 21.1 percent, No. 56; Glenn, 16.5 percent, No. 43; Yolo, 12.8 percent, No. 26; Mendocino, 11.6 percent, No. 19; Napa, 9.6 percent, No. 8; and Sonoma, 9.8 percent, No. 10.

Among local cities and communities, Clearlake Oaks had the highest unemployment, 26.7 percent, followed by Nice, 26.1 percent; the city of Clearlake, 25.7 percent; Lucerne, 19.2 percent; Kelseyville, 18.4 percent; Middletown, 18.5 percent; city of Lakeport, 17.5 percent; Cobb, 16.2 percent; Lower Lake, 15.2 percent; Hidden Valley Lake, 15.1 percent; and north Lakeport, 14.4 percent. Upper Lake had the lowest unemployment rate, 9.5 percent.

Mullins said Lake County's industry employment increased by 130, ending the month-over period with 12,310 jobs. That's compared to just 10 jobs added in March.

Overall, Mullins said eight sectors gained or were unchanged over the month and three declined. Government employment remained down 150 jobs over the year.

He said month-over job growth occurred in manufacturing, 10; Trade, transportation and utilities, 30; leisure and hospitality, 130; other services, 10; government, 40.

Industries that reported job losses for the month included farm, 100; financial activities, 10; and professional and business services, 10, according to Mullins.

No changes were reported in mining, logging and construction; information; and private educational and health services, Mullins said.

State, federal surveys show job growth in April

Across California, nonfarm jobs in April totaled 14,054,900, an increase of 8,900 jobs over the month, according to a survey of 42,000 businesses that is larger and less variable statistically and used to measure jobs in the economy. The state said the year-over-year change – April 2010 to April 2011 – showed a 1 percent, increase or 144,400 jobs.

The federal survey of households, done with a smaller sample than the survey of employers, showed an increase in the number of employed people. That survey estimated the number of Californians holding jobs in April was 15,939,000, an increase of 37,000 from March, but down 21,000 from the employment total in April of last year.

The Employment Development Department reported that payroll employment – wage and salary jobs – in the state's nonfarm industries totaled 14,054,900 in April, a net gain of 8,900 jobs since the March survey. In March there was a loss of 14,900 jobs.

The state said six categories – mining and logging; manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities; educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; and other services – added jobs over the month, gaining 31,400 jobs. Leisure and hospitality posted the largest increase over the month, adding 12,400 jobs.

Five categories – construction; information; financial activities; professional and business services; and government – reported job declines over the month, down 22,500 jobs. Government posted the largest decrease over the month, down 11,200 jobs, the Employment Development Department said.

The Employment Development Department said that eight industry divisions – mining and logging; construction; manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities; information; professional and business services; educational and health services; and leisure and hospitality – posted job gains over the year, adding 210,300 jobs.

Professional and business services posted the largest gain on a numerical basis, adding 58,800 jobs, up 2.9 percent. Information posted the largest gain on a percentage basis, up by 7 percent, an increase of 29,200 jobs, the state said.

Three categories – financial activities, other services and government – posted job declines over the year, down 65,900 jobs, the state said. Of those categories, government posted the largest decline on

both a numerical and percentage basis, down by 59,200 jobs, or 2.4 percent.

The Employment Development Department reported that there were 584,141 people receiving regular

unemployment insurance benefits during the April survey week, compared with 630,829 last month and 729,211 last year.

The state said new unemployment claims edged up slightly in April, to 63,739, compared with 61,076 in March and 83,896 in April of last year.

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