The 63,100 job gain came as employers were adding 151,000 jobs nationwide. The U.S. unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.9 percent in August.
The state’s unemployment rate was 5.5 percent in July and 6.0 percent in August 2015. The unemployment rate is derived from a federal survey of 5,500 California households.
California employers added 63,100 nonfarm jobs in California for a total of 16,534,300, according to a survey of businesses that is larger and less variable statistically. The survey of 58,000 California businesses showed the number of jobs increased 378,000 from August 2015 to August 2016 (up 2.3 percent).
EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT IN CALIFORNIA
The federal survey of households, done with a smaller sample than the survey of employers, shows an increase in the number of employed people. It estimates the number of Californians holding jobs in August was 18,170,000, up 57,000 from July and up 354,000 from August of last year.
The number of people unemployed in California was 1,061,000 in August, up 12,000 from July, but down 85,000 from August of last year.
PAYROLL EMPLOYMENT DETAIL (SEASONALLY ADJUSTED)
Payroll employment (wage and salary jobs) in the nonfarm industries of California totaled 16,534,300 in August, a gain of 63,100 jobs since July. This followed a revised gain of 18,600 in July, down from a preliminary estimate of 36,400 jobs.
On both a monthly and annual basis, nine industry sectors gained jobs while two sectors, manufacturing and mining and logging, posted losses.
Three sectors gained more than 10,000 jobs each from July to August. Government led the gains with an increase of 27,900 jobs (up1.1 percent) with 27,100 of the new jobs in local government. Professional and business services added 14,400 jobs (up 0.6 percent) with 13,100 of those jobs in professional, scientific and technical services. Trade, transportation and utilities added 10,300 jobs (up 0.3 percent).
Other job gains from July to August were: 2,000 in construction (up 0.3 percent), 4,600 in information (up 0.9 percent), 700 in financial activities (up 0.1 percent), 4,900 in educational and health services (up 0.2 percent), 1,400 in other services (up 0.3 percent) and 700 in leisure and hospitality.
Manufacturing posted the biggest job loss, 3,400 (down 0.3 percent). Mining and logging, a sector that includes energy industries, lost 400 jobs (down 1.6 percent).
On a year-over basis, nonfarm payroll employment increased 378,000 from August 2015 to August 2016.
Three sectors added more than 60,000 jobs each. Professional and businesses services led the way with a gain of 89,900 jobs (up 3.6 percent), followed by educational and health services with a gain of 83,600 jobs (up 3.4 percent), leisure and hospitality with a gain 62,300 (up 3.4 percent).
Other year-over job gains were: 49,600 in trade transportation and utilities (up 1.7 percent), 45,200 in government (up1.8 percent), 29,300 in construction (up 4.0 percent), 13,200 in information (up 2.7 percent), 11,400 in financial activities (up 1.4 percent), and 5,600 in other services (up 1.0 percent).
Over the year, manufacturing lost 8,600 jobs (down 0.7 percent). Logging and mining lost 3,500 jobs (down 12.4 percent).
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE CLAIMS (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED)
In related data, the EDD reported that 352,085 people were receiving regular Unemployment Insurance benefits during the August survey week. This compares with 353,609 in July and 367,255 in August of last year. At the same time, new claims for Unemployment Insurance were 39,095 in August compared with 42,923 in July and 43,332 in August of last year.
Source: EDD
