California Job Tracker: California Employers Still Hiring
California�s nonfarm employers created 30,000 more jobs in September compared with the prior month. This came on the top of a 48,000 job gain registered in August. September gains continued to be widespread, with particularly large numerical increases in education, health care, construction, government, and tourism.
California outperformed the nation in terms of the year-over-year percent change in jobs for the 55th consecutive month. California�s gain was 2.3 percent versus the national 1.7 percent rise. Three-fourths of California�s metropolitan regions outperformed the nation. More than half of them (16) outperformed both the state and the country as a whole. (See Figure 1.)
Most of California remains in full recovery mode, with a number of metropolitan areas continuing to reach new employment highs. Only four metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), representing just 3 percent of the regional job total, have not fully recovered to their pre-recession peaks. (See Figure 2.)
California�s jobless rate held steady at 5.5 percent for the third month in a row. More people are now entering the work force and many of them are finding jobs. However, California�s economy will now need to run even faster to press the jobless rate further down. Still, we are a long way from the 12 percent unemployment high experienced six years ago.
Percent Change in Jobs from Pre-Recession Peaks
See raw data: Employment numbers by region.
Source: FBEI, EDD
Lynn Reaser is chair of the treasurer’s Council of Economic Advisors and chief economist at the Fermanian Business and Economic Institute for Point Loma Nazarene University. The opinions in this article are presented in the spirit of spurring discussion and reflect those of the author and not necessarily the Treasurer, his office or the State of California.