Calif. Unemployment Falls To 8.5 Percent
SACRAMENTO (CBS/AP) — California's unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent in June as the state continues to close the gap on the national jobless rate, the state Employment Development Department announced Thursday.
The jobless rate dropped one-tenth of a percentage point. It was 8.6 percent in May, which was the first time in five years the state rate had dipped below 9 percent.
Nationwide, the unemployment rate was unchanged at 7.6 percent in June.
The state agency said California added 30,200 jobs in June, more than any other state. That was a gain of 16,800 jobs from May.
The jobs added were concentrated in trade, health care, leisure and hospitality, and government. Manufacturing posted a small gain in June, but the number of construction jobs declined over the month.
The overall number of Californians holding jobs in June was slightly above 17 million, up more than 500,000 from the employment total in June of last year.
Meanwhile, the number of people unemployed was about 1.6 million, down 373,000 compared to the same month last year.
The latest jobless rate means eight other states now have higher unemployment rates than California. It puts the state's unemployment rate at its lowest level since November 2008.
While unemployment dipped in the state, it was a different story in Los Angeles County.
In June, a total of 481,000 people didn't have jobs in the county, increasing the unemployment rate from 9.6 percent in May to 9.7 percent.
Total nonfarm employment increased by 200 jobs between May and June to reach just more than 3.9 million.
The leisure and hospitality sector added 7,000 jobs. Education services lost 7,800 positions, according to the EDD.
The state released its employment data a day early due to an inadvertent data release by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
