LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County’s unemployment rate rose slightly in November but, overall, the county is winding down the year with some of the lowest unemployment numbers in decades.
The California Employment Development Department’s latest report on joblessness across the state said that Lake County’s November rate was 4.8 percent, up from a revised 4.7 percent in October. The year-ago unemployment rate was 5.3 percent.
California’s November unemployment rate held at 4.1 percent for the third straight month. That rate is the lowest California has experienced since 1976, the Employment Development Department reported. In November 2017, the state’s unemployment rate was 4.5 percent.
The report said California added 30,700 nonfarm payroll jobs in November, and a total of 3,078,100 jobs since the economic expansion began in February 2010.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that nationwide unemployment was 3.9 percent, also since September, with the nation’s employers adding 155,000 nonfarm payroll jobs. The nation’s November 2017 unemployment rate was 4.1 percent.
The Employment Development Department said the unemployment rate is derived from a federal survey of 5,100 California households, while a survey of 71,000 California businesses measures jobs in the economy.
That larger business survey showed that nonfarm payroll jobs in California totaled 17,267,700 in November. The year-over change, November 2017 to November 2018, shows an increase of 299,800 jobs, up 1.8 percent
At the same time, the federal household survey showed an increase in the number of the employed over the month and the year, estimating the number of Californians holding jobs in
November was 18,710,500, an increase of 73,200 from October, and up 184,700 from the employment total in November of last year.
The number of unemployed Californians was 806,600 in November – an increase of 2,300 over the month, and down by 58,200 compared with November of last year, the report said.
The Employment Development Department’s payroll employment report – wage and salary jobs – in the nonfarm industries of California totaled 17,267,700 in November, a net gain of 30,700
jobs from October. This followed a revised gain of 36,800 jobs in October.
In November, there were 1,450 unemployed Lake County residents, compared to 1,410 in October and 1,330 in September, based on the report.
The county’s civilian work force totaled 28,390 people in November, with 28,670 reported in October and 29,040 in September, the Employment Development Department reported.
With the agricultural harvests done, in November total farm jobs dropped by 37.3 percent, but were still up 6.1 percent in a year-over comparison, while the total nonfarm jobs category dropped by only 0.2 percent and was up from 1.3 percent a year ago, the state said.
Subcategories that showed job growth included trade, transportation and utilities, 1.4 percent; retail trade, 1.4 percent; and state and local government, 0.2 percent.
Job losses were reported in goods producing, -1.7 percent; total private, -0.3 percent; service producing, -0.1 percent; and private service providing, -0.1 percent.
Lake County’s 4.8-percent jobless rate once again earned it the No. 37 spot out of the state’s 58 counties.
Neighboring county jobless rates and rankings in November are as follows: Colusa, 12.1 percent, No. 57; Glenn, 5.5 percent, No. 42; Mendocino, 3.7 percent, No. 21; Napa, 2.7 percent, No. 6; Sonoma, 2.5 percent, No. 5; and Yolo, 3.9 percent, No. 26, the report said.
A look at state numbers
The report said that nine of California’s 11 industry sectors added a total of 35,400 jobs in November.
The largest increase was reported in the leisure and hospitality category, which gained 12,400 jobs, followed by professional and business services, up 7,600 jobs; construction, up 3,300 jobs; and educational and health services, up 3,300 jobs. Other sectors adding jobs over the month were government, other services, manufacturing, financial activities, and trade, transportation, and utilities.
The state said two of California’s industries reported job losses over the month: Information reported the largest decrease with a loss of 4,500 jobs, followed by mining and logging, which lost 200 jobs.
In a year-over-year comparison – November 2017 to November 2018 – the state said nonfarm payroll employment in California increased by 299,800 jobs, or an increase of 1.8 percent.
Over the course of the first 11 months of 2018, nine of California’s 11 industry sectors added a total of 301,500 jobs, with the largest job gains reported in professional and business services, up 91,100, or 3.5 percent; educational and health services, up 63,300 jobs or 2.4 percent; and leisure and hospitality, up 50,600 or 2.6 percent increase, according to the report.
Other sectors adding jobs over the year were government, construction, trade, transportation and utilities, information, manufacturing and financial activities, the report said.
The Employment Development Department said industries that posted job declines over the year included other services with a job loss of 1,300 and mining and logging, with a 400 job loss.
In November, San Mateo County’s jobless rate was at 2 percent, which kept the county in first place for the lowest unemployment rate in California. The highest rate was found in Imperial County, which had 18.1 percent unemployment.
The Employment Development Department’s report also included Unemployment Insurance claims.
There were 261,022 people receiving regular Unemployment Insurance benefits during the November survey week, compared with 272,542 in October and 256,961 in November of last year.
In November, new claims for Unemployment Insurance were 34,207, compared with 40,032 in October and 36,177 in November of last year.
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.
Lake County unemployment shows slight rise; state, national rates remain flat
- Elizabeth Larson
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