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OC Unemployment at 4.1% in November

Retail trade adds most jobs

Orange County’s unemployment rate was 4.1% in November, unchanged from a year ago, according to the state’s Employment Development Department.

The state’s unemployment rate was 5.4% while the U.S.’s was 4.3%.

The report was delayed by a month because of the federal shutdown in October and November; the department also didn’t report October’s unemployment rate.

Nonfarm OC employment rose 5,600 to 1.71 million jobs.

Trade, transportation and utilities added 4,900 jobs, the largest increase, most of which  were in retail trade.

Three other sectors gained employment: private education and health services, up 2,000, government, up 1,900, and other services, up 200.

Leisure and hospitality declined the most, 1,100 jobs, particularly in the arts, entertainment and recreation areas.

Six other industry sectors reported declines.

The state reported 18 million jobs, up 32,500 from October.

 

 

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Peter J. Brennan
Peter J. Brennan
With four decades of experience in journalism, Peter J. Brennan has built a career that spans diverse news topics and global coverage. From reporting on wars, narcotics trafficking, and natural disasters to analyzing business and financial markets, Peter’s work reflects a commitment to impactful storytelling. Peter’s association with the Orange County Business Journal began in 1997, where he worked until 2000 before moving to Bloomberg News. During his 15 years at Bloomberg, his reporting often influenced financial markets, with headlines and articles moving the market caps of major companies by hundreds of millions of dollars. In 2017, Peter returned to the Orange County Business Journal as Financial Editor, bringing his heavy business industry expertise. Over the years, he advanced to Executive Editor and, in 2024, was named Editor-in-Chief. Peter’s work has been featured in prestigious publications such as The New York Times and The Washington Post, and he has appeared on CNN, CBC, BBC, and Bloomberg TV. A Kiplinger Fellowship recipient at The Ohio State University, he leads the Business Journal with a dedication to uncovering stories that matter and shaping the local business community and beyond.
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