- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
State's unemployment edges slightly down, county's slightly up in June
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The state's unemployment rate showed a slight improvement in June while Lake County's rolled upward.
The Employment Development Department's latest report on unemployment put Lake County's June rate at 12 percent, up from 11.6 percent in May and 14.5 percent in June 2012. The county ranked No. 46 overall for its June numbers.
At the same time, California's overall June unemployment rate was 8.5 percent, down slightly from 8.6 percent in May and down from the 10.6 percent in June 2012, according to the report.
The Employment Development Department said nonfarm jobs in California totaled 14,648,700 in June, an increase of 30,200 jobs over the month, according to a survey of 42,000 businesses that measures jobs in the economy. The year-to-year change – June 2012 to June 2013 – showed an increase of 253,900 jobs, up 1.8 percent.
A federal survey of households, done with a smaller sample than the survey of employers, showed an increase in the number of employed people. It estimated the number of Californians holding jobs in June was 17,054,000, an increase of 19,000 from May 2013, and up 548,000 from the employment total in June of last year.
The number of people unemployed in California was 1,592,000, down by 16,000 over the month, and down by 373,000 compared with June of last year.
Nationwide, unemployment was 7.6 percent in June, the same rate as in May, but down from 8.2 percent in June 2012, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Lake County's civilian workforce numbered 25,550 in June, up from 24,860 in May but down from 26,220 in June 2012, based on state statistics.
Amongst Lake County's industries, the total farm category had a 46.7 percent increase in June thanks to the agricultural season, increasing from 1,070 jobs in May to 1,570 in June, the report noted.
Leisure and hospitality increased 7.8 percent, or 80 jobs, rising to 1,110, and information increased by 10 jobs to a total of 170 jobs, or 6.3 percent, the report said.
The only decline took place in educational and health services, which dropped by 10 to a total of 2,290 jobs, or a 0.4 percent decrease, while manufacturing, durable goods, wholesale trade, professional and business services, federal government and state government all showed no change, based on the data.
The state report showed that Marin had the lowest unemployment rate in June, 5.1 percent, and Imperial had the highest, 23.6 percent.
Lake's neighboring counties registered the following unemployment rates for June, according to the Employment Development Department: Colusa, No. 57, 15.8 percent; Glenn, No. 48, 12.1 percent; Mendocino, No. 13, 7.4 percent; Napa, No. 4, 5.8 percent; Sonoma, No. 8, 6.7 percent; and Yolo, No. 23, 8.5 percent.
In related data, the Employment Development Department reported that there were 445,971 people receiving regular Unemployment Insurance benefits during the June survey week, compared with 479,718 last month and 483,445 last year.
New claims for unemployment insurance numbered 66,122 in June, compared with 54,526 in May and 66,296 in June 2012, the state 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.