The California Employment Development Department said that Lake County’s April unemployment was 5.1 percent, down from 6.2 percent in March and an improvement on the year-ago rate, which was 5.3 percent
California’s unemployment rate remained at 4.3 percent for the second month in a row. The state’s April 2018 rate also was 4.3 percent.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics said nationwide unemployment dropped to 3.6 percent in April from 3.8 percent in March, and 3.9 percent in April 2018. The nation’s employers added 263,000 nonfarm payroll jobs in April.
Based on Bureau of Labor Statistics, the April nationwide jobless rate is the lowest since December 1969.
In looking at Lake County’s labor market statistics for April, data from the Employment Development Department shows that the civilian labor force totaled 28,880 individuals in that month, down from 29,500 in March and 28,970 in April 2018.
There were 1,460 unemployed county residents in April, compared to 1,840 in March and 1,540 the previous April, the data shows.
In industries and subcategories showing growth, state government showed an increase 11.8 percent, followed by mining, logging and construction at 3.8 percent, total farm at 3.1 percent and goods producing at 2.6 percent.
Losses were shown in local government, -0.7 percent; educational and health services, -0.4 percent; and state government, -0.2 percent.
In April, Lake County’s unemployment rate earned it a statewide ranking of No. 34.
Neighboring county jobless rates and rankings in April are as follows: Colusa, 15.7 percent, No. 57; Glenn, 6.6 percent, No. 44; Mendocino, 4.1 percent, No. 29; Napa, 2.7 percent, No. 8; Sonoma, 2.6 percent, No. 5; and Yolo, 4.0 percent, No. 26, the report said.
California’s job picture
The Employment Development Department said the state’s employers added 46,000 nonfarm payroll jobs in April, with California having gained a total of 3,213,900 jobs since the economic
expansion began in February 2010.
Nonfarm payroll jobs in California totaled 17,403,500 in April, according to a survey of 80,000 California businesses measures jobs in the economy. The year-over change from April 2018 to April 2019 shows an increase of 271,600 jobs, up 1.6 percent.
A federal household survey of 5,100 California households shows a decrease in the number of employed Californians over the month. It estimates the number of Californians holding jobs in April was 18,692,000, a decrease of 50,000 from March and up 195,000 from the employment total in April of last year.
The state said the number of unemployed Californians was 835,000 in April – a decrease of 3,000 over the month and up by 8,000 compared with April of last year.
The Employment Development Department’s employment report – which covers wage and salary jobs in the nonfarm industries of California – said jobs totaled 17,403,500 in April, a net gain of 46,000 jobs from March. That followed a revised gain of 28,500 jobs in March.
Nine of California’s 11 industry sectors added a total of 46,800 jobs in April. The Employment Development Department said educational and health services reported the largest increase with a gain of 17,300 jobs followed by leisure and hospitality which had a gain of 12,100 jobs.
Other sectors adding jobs over the month were professional and business services, government, construction, other services, financial activities, manufacturing, and the trade, transportation and utilities industry sector, the state said.
As for month-over job losses, two of California industries reported job losses over the month. Information reported the largest decrease with a loss of 600 jobs while mining and logging had
a loss of 200 jobs.
In the case of job gains, in a year-over-year comparison – April 2018 to April 2019 – nonfarm payroll employment in California increased by 271,600 jobs, a 1.6 percent increase, the Employment Development Department reported.
The agency said 10 of California’s eleven industry sectors added a total of 274,300 jobs over the year.
The largest job gains were in educational and health services, up 78,800, or 2.9 percent, and professional and business services, up 66,900 jobs, a 2.5-percent increase, the state said.
Other sectors adding jobs over the year were leisure and hospitality, government, construction, information, manufacturing, other services, trade, transportation and utilities, and mining and logging, according to the report.
The Employment Development Department said year-over job losses were recorded in just one industry – financial activities, with a job loss of 2,700.
The Employment Development Department said there were 364,431 people receiving regular Unemployment Insurance benefits during the April survey week. That’s compared with 387,767 in March and 390,362 in April of last year.
The report said new claims for Unemployment Insurance were 44,031 in April, compared with 39,965 in March and 40,848 in April of last year.
Email Elizabeth Larson at