California jobless rate falls to 6.3% in April; employers add 29,500 jobs
Applicants at a job fair in Ontario. The California unemployment rate fell to 6.3% in April.
The California unemployment rate slid to 6.3% in April -- its lowest level in seven years -- and employers in the state added 29,500 nonfarm payroll jobs.
The uptick is slightly smaller than in March, which saw a revised 40,500 new jobs, according to the California Employment Development Department. But the jobless rate last month was lower than the 6.5% rate in March.
Nationwide, the unemployment rate fell in April to 5.4%.
Some 457,000 new jobs have been added in the state since April 2014 – a 2.9% pace that outstrips the national 2.1% rate. A year ago, California’s unemployment rate was 7.8%.
The professional and business services sector enjoyed the largest month-to-month increase in jobs, adding 14,500 positions in April. Financial activities employers implemented the most cuts -- with 2,800 fewer jobs -- while leisure and hospitality groups and other services also experienced declines.
Over the year, 42,600 jobs were added in construction, representing a 6.4% increase.
In Los Angeles County, the seasonally adjusted 7.6% jobless rate was unchanged from March but down from 8.4% in April 2014. Nonfarm employment in the county rose by 9,600 jobs, with leisure and hospitality clocking the largest increase from March.
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