LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The spring job picture has continued to improve for Lake County, which in April had the lowest unemployment rate in nearly nine years, based on the latest state unemployment report.
The California Employment Development Department reported that Lake County's unemployment rate fell to 7.1 percent in April, down from a revised 7.8 percent in March and 8.9 percent in April 2014.
Lake County's April preliminary unemployment rate is the lowest the county has had since October of 2006 – which had a 6.7-percent unemployment rate, according to Employment Development Department historical data.
Lake County's unemployment topped out at 17.5 percent in December 2009, six months after the recession – which ran from December 2007 to June 2009 – is held to have technically ended for most of the country.
The latest employment numbers suggest that Lake County – which went into the recession later than other areas – is advancing well into its economic recovery.
When the nationwide economic recovery began in February 2010, in Lake County there were 4,770 people in a workforce of 29,240 out of work, with a 16.3-percent unemployment rate.
In April of this year, the number of unemployed had fallen to 2,120 people, while the workforce was up slightly to 29,990.
Statewide, unemployment was at 6.3 percent in April, down from 6.5 the previous month and 7.8 percent the previous April, the state reported.
The number of people unemployed in California was 1,199,000 – down by 25,000 over the month, and down by 254,000 compared with April of last year.
Nationwide, unemployment in April was at 5.4 percent, down slightly from 5.5 percent in March and 6.2 percent in April 2014, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Nonfarm jobs in California totaled 16,012,200 in April, an increase of 29,500 jobs over the month, according to a survey of 58,000 businesses that measures jobs in the economy. The year-over-year change, April 2014 to April 2015, showed an increase of 457,300 jobs, up 2.9 percent.
A federal survey of 5,500 households showed an increase in the number of employed people, estimating that 17,755,000 Californians held jobs in April, an increase of 43,000 from March, and up 464,000 from the employment total in April of last year, the state said.
The report showed that California's nonfarm payroll jobs increased by 29,500 in April for a total gain of 1,890,900 jobs since the recovery began in February 2010.
In April Lake County showed job growth of 1.4 percent. Industries that added jobs in Lake County included total farm, 11.2 percent; and within total nonfarm, which had an overall increase of 0.9 percent, increases occurred in good producing, 3.8 percent, private service producing, 1 percent, and service producing, 0.7 percent.
No local industry sectors showed job losses in April, the report showed.
Lake County was ranked No. 30 statewide for its April unemployment, compared to neighboring counties including Colusa, 15.8 percent, No. 57; Glenn, 9.1 percent, No. 45; Mendocino, 5.5 percent, No. 17; Napa, 4.1 percent, No. 5; Sonoma, 4.2 percent, No. 7; and Yolo, 6.1 percent, No. 22.
The Employment Development Department also reported that there were 415,987 people receiving regular Unemployment Insurance benefits in California during the April survey week, compared to 464,530 in March and 481,018 in April of last year.
New claims for Unemployment Insurance were 47,462 in April, compared with 44,502 in March and 62,715 in April of last year, the agency said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Latest unemployment report shows Lake County at nearly nine-year jobless low
- Elizabeth Larson
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