California's unemployment rate climbed to 11.5 percent in May, the highest in modern record-keeping, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Friday. The loss of another 69,000 jobs comes as a blow to the state after unemployment dipped slightly to 11.1 percent in April, according to revised figures. The California Employment Development Department said the government posted the largest job declines in the month, down by 14,200 jobs. Every other sector besides education and health services also saw losses.
Although the Labor Department reported that 48 states and the District of Columbia saw their unemployment rates rise in May, California's rate was substantially higher than the national rate of 9.4 percent for the month.
Only four states had higher rates: Michigan, Oregon, Rhode Island and South Carolina.
The West had the highest regional jobless rate in the nation, at 10.1 percent, and it was the highest rate since September 1983, when the nation was emerging from a deep recession.
...............From The Press-Enterprise: The unemployment rate for Riverside and San Bernardino counties was 13 percent in May, up from a revised 12.7 percent in April and equaling the all-time high set in March.
A year ago, unemployment in the two-county area was estimated at 7.4 percent. This compares with an unadjusted unemployment rate of 11.5 percent for California and 9.1 percent for the nation during the same period. The unemployment rate was 13.1 percent in Riverside County and 12.8 percent in San Bernardino County.
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13% and climbing in the IE! Yikes.....