Unemployment in Riverside and San Bernardino counties climbed to 9.2 percent in August, up from a revised 9 percent the month before, the state reported this morning.
There were 166,500 unemployed workers in the Inland Empire last month, compared to 114,500 in august 2007.
There are 25,000 fewer jobs in Inland Southern California than there were 12 months ago, according to the state Employment Development Department. Construction hiring is off more than 13 percent, but almost every sector of the region's economy has scaled back its hiring.