- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
State, local unemployment rates remain unchanged in July
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Unemployment rates in Lake County and statewide remained unchanged in July, with nationwide unemployment up slightly according to the latest reports on jobs.
The California Employment Development Department’s report said Lake County’s July unemployment rate was 14.7 percent, unchanged from June but down from 16.2 percent in July 2011.
California’s unemployment rate was 10.7 percent in July, unchanged from June, and down from 11.9 percent in July 2011, according to data derived from federal survey of 5,500 California households, the report showed.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the nationwide unemployment rate increased in July to 8.3 percent, up from 8.2 percent in June but down from 9.1 percent in July 2011.
Lake County, which has plateaued at the 14.7 rate since May, had a total wage and salary employment decrease of 450 jobs between June and July, according to Dennis Mullins of the Employment Development Department’s North Coast Region Labor Market Information Division.
Mullins said the government category – primarily education – had cutbacks that entirely offset a private industry gain of 80 jobs over the month.
For the year, Lake is down 370 jobs with four industry sectors gaining and seven declining. Total government jobs are down 410 over the year, he said.
Year-over job growth in Lake County occurred in farm, 60; trade, transportation and utilities, 20; private educational and health services, 10; and leisure and hospitality, 20, Mullins reported.
Lake County industry sectors showing declines over the year included mining, logging and construction (-30), manufacturing (-10), information (-10), financial activities (-10), professional and business services (-20), other services (-10) and government (-410).
Marin remained the county with the lowest unemployment statewide, at 6.7 percent, with Imperial County coming in with the highest unemployment, 29.9 percent.
Lake County remained ranked No. 45 among California’s 58 counties, while its neighboring counties showed the following July rates: Colusa County, No. 55, 17.3 percent; Glenn, No. 48, 15.2 percent; Mendocino, No. 20, 9.8 percent; Napa, No. 4, 7.7 percent; Sonoma, No. 8, 8.6 percent; and Yolo, No. 23, 10.5 percent.
Employment detail shows where jobs were added, lost
The Employment Development Department said there were 518,605 people receiving regular
unemployment insurance benefits during the July survey week, compared with 483,445 in June and 566,380 in July 2011.
New unemployment insurance claims for numbered 52,336 last month, compared with 66,296 in June
and 57,897 in July of last year, according to the report.
California’s nonfarm payroll jobs increased by 25,200 to a total of 14,358,600 in July, following 45,000 jobs gained in June, for a total gain of 507,200 jobs since the recovery began in September 2009, the report said.
The Employment Development Department bases those estimates on a survey of 42,000 California businesses. The year-over-year change – July 2011 to July 2012 – shows an increase of 365,100 jobs, up 2.6 percent.
The federal survey of 5,500 households showed a decrease in the number of employed people, estimating that Californians holding jobs in July was 16,444,000, a decrease of 40,000 from June, but up 277,000 from the employment total in July of last year.
The number of people unemployed in California was 1,962,000 – down by 12,000 over the month, and down by 228,000 compared with July of last year, according to the report.
The report showed that six categories – financial activities; professional and business services; educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; other services; and government – added jobs
over the month, gaining 41,300 jobs. Professional and business services posted the largest increase over the month, adding 15,200 jobs.
Four categories – construction; manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities; and information – reported job declines over the month, down 16,100 jobs, the state said. Trade, transportation and utilities posted the largest decrease over the month, down 8,000 jobs. One category, mining and logging, was unchanged over the month.
In a year-over-year comparison – July 2011 to July 2012 – nonfarm payroll employment in California increased by 365,100 jobs, up 2.6 percent, according to the Employment Development Department.
Ten categories – mining and logging; construction; trade, transportation and utilities; information; financial activities; professional and business services; educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; other services; and government – posted job gains over the year, adding 372,500 jobs, the report noted.
It showed that professional and business services posted the largest gains on both a numerical and percentage basis, adding 115,600 jobs, up 5.4 percent.
The report noted that one category, manufacturing, posted job declines over the year, down 7,400 jobs, a 0.6 percent decline.
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