Politics & Government
California Unemployment Hits Record Low
The state added nearly 40,000 jobs last month and unemployment across southern California dropped.
LOS ANGELES, CA — Unemployment in California hit a record low last month, according to the state Employment Development Department.
The state added nearly 40,000 jobs in April to bring the unemployment rate down to 4.2 percent. Though a little higher than the statewide average, unemployment in Los Angeles County dropped as well to reach 4.4 percent, down from a revised 4.5 percent in March, the state Employment Development Department reported Friday.
The April unemployment rate was also down from April 2017, when the rate was 4.8 percent.
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In Orange County, where seasonally adjusted numbers were not available, the April unemployment rate was 2.6 percent, down from 2.8 percent in March.
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for California was 4.2 percent in April, down from 4.3 percent in March and below the 5 percent rate from April 2017. The comparable estimates for the nation were 3.9 percent in April, 4.1 percent in March and 4.4 percent in April 2017.
Find out what's happening in Los Angeleswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
According to the EDD, total nonfarm employment increased in Los Angeles County by about 4,900 jobs between March and April to reach nearly 4.5 million. The leisure and hospitality sector showed the biggest gain, adding 3,500 jobs.
About 228,000 people were unemployed in April in Los Angeles County, which has a work force of more than 5.1 million.
City News Service; Photo: hafizi/Shutterstock.com
