How does the California unemployment rate compare to the nation?
The December data was released Friday, January 9, 2009 and is considered “preliminary” meaning it can be revised up or down in the future. Data for January 2009 will be released on Friday, February 6, 2009 at 8:30 AM EST. In December 2008, the number of unemployed nationwide increased by 632,000 to 11.1 million. The national unemployment rate rose to 7.2 percent. This compares with 6.8 percent in November 2008 and 4.9 percent in December 2007. In California, the number of unemployed was 1,731,760 out of a labor force of 18,648,474 or an unemployment rate of 9.3 percent. This is up from 8.4 percent in November 2008 and 5.9 percent in December 2007. Approximately 165,293 people in California lost their jobs in December 2008. Data came from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics which is part of the United States Department of Labor. The data for January will likely show further job losses. The LA Times said that January layoffs announced by California companies total at least 15,000. Source
