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The California Employment Development Department's report on unemployment for March showed that the state's unemployment rate was 12 percent for March, compared to the revised percentage of 12.1 for February and down from 12.4 percent in March 2010.
In March unemployed Californians totaled 2,176,000 – down by 25,000 over the month, and down by 79,000 compared with March of last year, the Employment Development Department reported.
In Lake County, unemployment was at 19.5 percent in March, up from 19.2 percent in February and up from the 19 percent recorded in March 2010, the state reported.
Nationwide, unemployment decreased in March to 8.8 percent, down from 8.9 percent in February and 9.7 percent in March 2010, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's the lowest nationwide unemployment since March 2009.
Lake County's most recent unemployment rate earned it a statewide rank of 49 out of 58 counties, the same as its February rank.
In March, Lake County's labor force included 24,510 people, of which 4,780 were unemployed, according to state figures. In February there were 24,440 local residents in the workforce, and 4,700 were out of work.
Marin continued to be the county with the lowest unemployment, at 8 percent, while Colusa County was ranked last of the state's counties, with 26.7 percent unemployment.
Lake's neighboring counties registered the following unemployment rates and statewide ranks: Colusa, 26.7 percent, No. 58; Glenn, 18.6 percent, No. 46; Yolo, 14.8 percent, No. 33; Mendocino, 12.5 percent, No. 22; Napa, 10.3 percent, No. 9; and Sonoma, 10.4 percent, No. 11.
In Lake County, Clearlake Oaks was the area with highest unemployment, 28.5 percent, followed by Nice, 27.8 percent; the city of Clearlake, 27.4 percent; Lucerne, 20.5 percent; Kelseyville, 19.8 percent; Middletown, 19.7 percent; city of Lakeport, 18.8 percent; Cobb, 17.5 percent; Lower Lake, 16.5 percent; Hidden Valley Lake, 16.2 percent; and north Lakeport, 15.6 percent. Upper Lake had the lowest unemployment rate, 10.3 percent.
Dennis Mullins of the Employment Development Department's Labor Market Information Division said total Lake County industry employment increased by 10 in March, ending the month-over period with 12,180 jobs.
He said 10 industries gained or were unchanged over the month and two declined. Government jobs remained down over the year, with a loss of 130 jobs.
Mullins said month-over job growth occurred in mining, logging and construction, 10; manufacturing, 10; professional and business services, 10; private educational and health services, 10; and government, 20.
Month-over job losses occurred in the farm category, down 20 jobs, and leisure and hospitality, down by 10, Mullins said, while industries with no change in March were trade, transportation and utilities; information; financial activities; and other services.
Surveys show mixed results for state job numbers
While California’s unemployment rate decreased in March, nonfarm jobs in California totaled 14,049,300 in March, a decrease of 11,600 jobs during the month, according to the Employment Development Department, which uses two separate surveys to gauge unemployment statewide – a federal survey of 5,500 California households and a survey of 42,000 California businesses.
The year-over-year change – March 2010 to March 2011 – shows an increase of 188,100 jobs, up 1.4 percent, the state said, while the federal survey of households showed a decrease in the number of employed people.
That federal survey estimated the number of Californians holding jobs in March was 15,902,000, a decrease of 14,000 from February, and down 61,000 from the employment total in March of
last year.
The Employment Development Department's report on payroll employment – wage and salary jobs – in the nonfarm industries of California totaled 14,049,300 in March, a net loss of 11,600 jobs since the February survey, which officials said followed a gain of 84,600 jobs in February.
There were 630,829 people receiving regular unemployment insurance benefits during the March survey week, which the state said compared with 666,260 last month and 768,583 last year. At the same time, new claims for unemployment insurance were 61,076 in March, compared with 68,203 in
February and 70,450 in March 2010.
The report's detailed breakdowns showed that four categories – information; professional and business services; educational and health services; and government – added jobs over the month, gaining 9,100 jobs. Educational and health services posted the largest increase over the month, adding
5,100 jobs.
Seven categories – mining and logging; construction; manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities; financial activities; leisure and hospitality; and other services – reported job declines this month, down 20,700 jobs, the state said.
The report also stated that eight industry divisions – mining and logging; construction; manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities; information; professional and business services; educational and health services; and leisure and hospitality – posted job gains over the year, adding 235,900 jobs.
Professional and business services posted the largest gain on a numerical basis, adding 83,800 jobs, a 4.1 percent increase. The state said information posted the largest gain on a percentage basis, up by 5.3 percent, an increase of 22,800 jobs.
Other report findings included three categories – financial activities, other services and government – posting job declines over the year, down 47,800 jobs, while government posted the largest decline on
both a numerical and percentage basis, down by 42,500 jobs, a 1.7 percent decrease.
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