LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County's unemployment showed a minor increase in December, while the jobless rate in California dropped and the nationwide number went up slightly.
The California Employment Development Department's latest report on unemployment rates showed Lake County registered a 6.8-percent rate for December, down from 6.6 percent in November and 7.8 percent in December 2015.
In December California’s unemployment rate fell to 5.2 percent, down from 5.3 percent in November and 5.9 percent the previous December, the Employment Development Department said.
The number of unemployed Californian’s was 1,009,000 in December, down by 29,000 over
the month, and down by 115,000 compared with December of last year, according to the report.
The state also reported that California's employers added 3,700 nonfarm payroll jobs in December; with December’s job gains, the state has gained a total of 2,420,100 jobs since the economic expansion began in February 2010.
Nonfarm jobs in California totaled 16,606,600 in December, up by 332,500 jobs, or 2 percent, over the year.
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics said unemployment increased from 4.6 percent in November to 4.7 percent in December, while employers nationwide added 156,000 nonfarm payroll jobs. The national unemployment rate in December 2015 was 5 percent.
Lake County's civilian workforce totaled 29,260 individuals in December, down from 29,520 in November but improved from the 28,590 reported the previous year.
The number of unemployed Lake County residents totaled 1,980 in December, up from 1,950 in November but down from 2,230 reported the previous December, according to state data.
The Employment Development Department reported that all of Lake County's industries showed a cumulative 4.6 percent increase in jobs over the past year, with the “total farm” category having a 25-percent increase, the “total nonfarm” subcategory of mining, logging and construction showing a 30-percent increase and durable goods production a 33-percent increase.
Categories showing drops included wholesale trade, 13.3 percent, and nondurable goods, 12 percent, the data showed.
In a monthly comparison, most local job categories dropped during the typical December slowdown, with the only subcategories showing growth in Lake County being service providing, up by 0.1 percent, and durable goods, up by 14.3 percent.
Lake County's December unemployment rate ranked it No. 36 out of California's 58 counties. San Mateo had the lowest rate, 2.7 percent, while Colusa had the highest unemployment rate, 19.5 percent.
The Employment Development Department also reported that there were 367,944 people receiving regular Unemployment Insurance benefits during the December survey week, compared with
358,096 in November and 393,350 in December of last year.
In December, new claims for Unemployment Insurance were 52,953 in December, compared with 54,252 in November and 53,248 in December of last year, the agency said.
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Lake County's December unemployment edges up
- Elizabeth Larson
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