California Unemployment Rate Dropped in February

The Employment Development Department (“EDD”) recently revealed California’s unemployment rate in the wake of February. The Los Angeles Times reported a net of 58,800 jobs added in the month of February particularly in the fields of education and health services. Despite significant losses in the manufacturing industry, this growth is said to be on par with the national unemployment statistics.

In February 9 out of 11 employment sectors reported payroll gains; California leading the rest of the nation in overall payroll increases (2.2% over the national 1.6%). This is good news for California residents who captured more than a third of all new jobs nationally according to the LA Times article.

Orange County’s unemployment rates led the rest of the region as it has held strong at 5.8% unemployment versus Los Angeles at 8.7%, San Diego at 7%, and Riverside and San Bernardino Counties at 9.4%.