Unemployment Rate in January Down Slightly to 12.4 Percent

SACRAMENTO – California nonfarm payroll jobs increased by 12,500 in January, with 5 of 11 industry sectors showing gains, according to data released March 4 by the California Employment Development Department from two separate surveys.

The unemployment rate was 12.4 percent, following an annual revision of monthly employment estimates.

The U.S. unemployment rate decreased in January to 9.0 percent.

In December, the state’s unemployment rate was 12.5 percent. In January 2010, the unemployment rate was 12.3 percent. The unemployment rate is derived from a federal survey of 5,500 California households.

Nonfarm jobs in California totaled 13,971,200 in January, an increase of 12,500 over the month, according to a survey of businesses that is larger and less variable statistically. The survey of 42,000 California businesses measures jobs in the economy.

The year-over-year change — January 2010 to January 2011) — shows an increase of 102,100 jobs,  up 0.7 percent.

The federal survey of households, done with a smaller sample than the survey of employers, shows an increase in the number of employed people. It estimates the number of Californians holding jobs in January was 15,905,000, an increase of 27,000 from December, but down 32,000 from the employment total in January of last year.

The number of people unemployed in California was 2,248,000 – down by 25,000 over the month — but up by 8,000 compared with January of last year.

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