Statewide Jobless Rate Sets New Record In April

Sonora, CA – The unemployment rate dipped in the Mother Lode, while the state’s rate marked a new record low.

California’s jobless rate fell to a record low of 4.2-percent from last month’s record of 4.3-percent, which held steady for two months. Tuolumne County’s rate declined to 4.6-percent from 5.2-percent in March. Calaveras County’s rate followed that trend dropping to 3.8-percent in April compared to 4.4-percent the prior month.

Sectors that gained jobs include professional and business services, trade, transportation and utilities. The biggest jump was in construction with 10,000 new jobs added. Only one sector reported job declines over the month that was manufacturing with a loss of 1,400 jobs in April. San Mateo County maintained the title of lowest unemployment rate at 2-percent and Colusa County remained the highest even though it went down from 18.9-percent to 15-percent in April.

The U.S. unemployment rate fell to 3.9 percent from 4.1-percent in March. The statistics were released by the California Employment Development Department.