Jobless Rate Hits 11.9%

California’s unemployment rate rose to 11.9%, the fourth-highest in the nation, in July, the state’s Employment Development Department said last week.

The jobless rate was up from 11.6% in June and 7.3% a year ago. The current rate is the highest since the state started keeping comparable records in 1976. California is tied with Oregon for the fourth-highest state jobless rate in the nation. Only Michigan, Rhode Island and Nevada have higher rates. 

The Golden State lost 35,800 jobs last month. Only two industry groups — professional and business services, and leisure and hospitality — gained jobs. California has lost 760,200 jobs, or about 5% of payroll employment, over the past year. The biggest losses have come from the construction industry, which shed 18.6% of jobs in the past year.

Marin County had the lowest jobless rate in the state in July at 8.2%, while Imperial County had the highest at 30.2%. Among the state’s biggest job markets, the jobless rate was 12.5% in Los Angeles County, 10.3% in San Diego County and 9.5% in Orange County.

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