Business & Tech

County's Jobless Rate Begins Year Higher

The county's non-seasonally-adjusted jobless rate in January, based on preliminary estimates, was 9.5 percent, compared to 8.9 percent in December, according to the California Employment Development Department.

Riverside County's unemployment rate edged up above 9 percent at the start of the year, a state agency reported Friday.

The county's non-seasonally-adjusted jobless rate in January, based on preliminary estimates, was 9.5 percent, compared to 8.9 percent in December, according to the California Employment Development Department.

The rate was nearly two percentage points lower than in January 2013, when unemployment stood at 11.3 percent.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

The civilian labor force numbered 957,000 at the start of the current year, with 90,700 out of work.

The unincorporated community of Cabazon had the highest unemployment rate countywide, at 24.3 percent, followed by Mecca at 19.3 percent and Homeland at 18.9 percent, according to the EDD.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

The combined unemployment rate for Riverside and San Bernardino counties in January was 9.5 percent, up from 8.7 percent the prior month.

Bi-county data indicated major payroll contraction in retail trade and warehousing as the holiday shopping season ended, with roughly 13,000 jobs lost.

The construction, business services, private educational services, leisure and hospitality and information sectors shrank by a combined 8,700 positions, while another 1,400 jobs were shed in the public sector and miscellaneous categories, according to the EDD.

Only the manufacturing and financial services sectors grew -- by about 400 jobs.

The farm sector cut back 700 positions.

The state's non-seasonally-adjusted jobless rate in January was 8.5 percent, according to the EDD.

– City News Service.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here