The California Employment Development Department’s latest unemployment report showed that California’s unemployment rate dropped from 11.9 percent in September to 11.7 percent in October – compared to 12.5 percent in October 2010 – and saw an increase of 25,700 nonfarm payroll jobs.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that nationwide unemployment dropped from 9.1 percent in September to 9 percent in October, down from 9.7 percent in October 2010 and 10.1 percent in October 2009, when nationwide unemployment peaked.
Lake County, however, saw an uptick in unemployment in October, when it registered a 16.2 percent unemployment rate, up from 15.8 percent in September, but down from 17.6 percent in October 2010, according to the state.
Lake remained at the rank of 53rd among the state’s 58 counties for unemployment. Rates for surrounding counties included Colusa, 15 percent, No. 46; Glenn, 13.5 percent, No. 39; Mendocino, 9.9 percent, No. 13; Napa, 8.3 percent, No. 4; Sonoma, 9.3 percent, No. 8; and Yolo, 11.1 percent, No. 24.
Marin County, had the state’s lowest unemployment rate, 7.2 percent, while Imperial County had the highest, 28.9 percent, according to the report.
Dennis Mullins of the Employment Development Department’s North Coast Region Labor Market Information Division reported that Lake County lost 530 jobs from September to October, much of it in the form of seasonal farm jobs, which saw a reduction by 240 positions.
Another 120 jobs were lost due to cutbacks in leisure and economy, plus 90 jobs in the government category; 30 jobs in other services; 20 in mining, logging and construction and 20 in trade transportation and utilities; and 10 manufacturing jobs, Mullins reported.
Month-over job growth occurred in private educational and health services, where Mullins said 10 jobs were gained. There were no changes in the information, financial activities or professional and business services categories, according to Mullins’ report.
Looking closer at Lake County’s overall job picture, the Employment Development Department reported the following unemployment rates for areas within the county: Clearlake Oaks, 24.1 percent; Nice, 23.6 percent; city of Clearlake, 23.2 percent; Lucerne, 17.1 percent; Kelseyville, 16.5 percent; Middletown, 16.4 percent; city of Lakeport, 15.6 percent; Cobb, 14.5 percent; Lower Lake, 13.7 percent; Hidden Valley Lake, 13.4 percent; north Lakeport, 12.9 percent; Upper Lake, 8.4 percent.
In October, Lake County’s workforce consisted of 24,330 people, of which 3,950 were unemployed, compared to a 24,860-member workforce with 3,930 unemployed in September, according to the report.
The Employment Development Department reported that there were 494,752 people statewide receiving regular unemployment insurance benefits during the October survey week, compared with 494,882 last month and 592,475 last year.
At the same time, new claims for unemployment insurance were 68,724 in October 2011, compared with 53,861 in September and 67,168 in October of last year, the agency reported.
State numbers look better
The Employment Development Department said nonfarm jobs in California totaled 14,151,600 in October, an increase of 25,700 jobs over the month, following a gain of 39,200 jobs in September, according to a survey of 42,000 California businesses. The year-over-year change – October 2010 to October 2011 – shows an increase of 239,000 jobs, up 1.7 percent.
The federal survey of households, done with a smaller sample than the survey of employers, showed an increase in the number of employed people, the Employment Development Department said.
The agency reported that the smaller survey estimated the number of Californians holding jobs in October was 16,008,000, an increase of 92,000 from September, and up 128,000 from the employment total in October of last year.
The number of people unemployed in California was 2,123,000 – down by 28,000 over the month, and down by 144,000 compared with October of last year, the state reported.
The state report showed that seven categories – construction; information; financial activities; professional and business services; educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; and other services – added jobs over the month, gaining 35,500 jobs. Professional and business services posted the largest increase over the month, adding 17,300 jobs.
Four categories – mining and logging; manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities; and government – reported job declines over the month, down 9,800 jobs, the state said.
Of those groups, the report showed that manufacturing and government posted the largest decreases over the month, each down 3,900 jobs. In a year-over-year comparison – October 2010 to October 2011 – nonfarm payroll employment in California increased by 239,000 jobs, a 1.7 percent improvement.
Nine categories – mining and logging; construction; manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities; information; professional and business services; educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; and government – posted job gains over the year, adding 243,700 jobs, the state said. Professional and business services posted the largest gain on a numerical basis, adding 83,300 jobs, up 4.0 percent.
The Employment Development Department reported that the information category posted the largest gain on a percentage basis, up by 5.9 percent, increasing by 25,400 jobs.
Two categories, financial activities and other services, posted job declines over the year, down 4,700 jobs, the state reported, while other services posted the largest decline on both a numerical and percentage basis, down by 2,400 jobs, a decrease of 0.5 percent.
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