Unemployment Drops In The State And Mother Lode

Sonora, CA — California’s numbers dropped for a second straight month with the Mother Lode following that trend.

The California Employment Development Department released the state’s unemployment rate on Friday showing a decrease to 5.5 percent in February.  The report found nonfarm payroll jobs increased by 39,900 during the month for a total gain of more than 2.1 million jobs since the recovery began in February 2010.

The Mother Lode followed suit rebounding from a spike in January.  Tuolumne County’s rate declined from 7.3% in the first month of the year to 7% in February.  In Calaveras County, the rate dropped from 6.4% in January to 6.1% last month.

Jobs showing the biggest gains were in construction, information, leisure and hospitality, which the latter added the most jobs, at nearly 52,000.  Trade, transportation, utilities and financial services lost the most jobs, at 12,000.

The U.S. unemployment rate was unchanged in February at 4.9 percent.