The state’s unemployment rate for February was 5.4%, down from the revised rate of 5.7% in January, with employers adding 138,100 nonfarm payroll jobs to the economy, according to data released by the California Employment Development Department.
The Employment Development Department said California’s 138,100 new jobs in February far outpaced every other state, and it was 60,300 more jobs than the next closest state of Texas and 87,100 more jobs than Florida.
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics said the nationwide jobless rate in February was 3.8%, down from 4% in January and 6.2% in February 2021.
In Lake County in February, the jobless rate was 5.9%, down from an adjusted rate of 6.8% in January, according to the data. The February 2021 rate was 9.2%.
In February, almost all of Lake County’s job sectors added jobs, led by total farm, which was up by 39.4% percent, or 260 jobs, followed by a 12.5% increase in the information sector and 11.1% for wholesale trade.
Overall, Lake County added 430 jobs in February, the Employment Development Department reported.
California has now regained 87.2% — or 2,405,900 — of the 2,758,900 nonfarm jobs lost during March and April of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since January 2021, California has created more than 1.3 million jobs, the state reported.
“These latest numbers show that California is continuing to drive our nation’s job growth,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom. “We’re doing it by promoting more pathways to opportunity and embracing the diversity, creativity, innovation, and determination that breeds success — building a California for all.”
Of the 678,000 jobs the nation gained in February, California accounted for 20.4% of them. The state’s year-over job growth of 6.8% also outpaced the nation’s rate of 4.6%.
The report showed that California has enjoyed month-over gains in nonfarm jobs in 12 of the past 13 months, averaging roughly 101,700 jobs gained per month over that time.
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