Orange County’s unemployment rate fell to 3.6% in May from a revised 3.7% in March and above the 3.3% in May last year, according to the state’s Employment Development Department.
The state’s unemployment rate was 4.9% while the U.S.’s was 4.0%.
Nonfarm OC employment increased by 5,700 jobs from April to May when 1.7 million were employed.
Seven of the 11 industry sectors saw job increases.
Leading the job increase was the leisure and hospitality sector, which added 2,500 jobs. Six other sectors expanded. The construction and manufacturing sectors were down 100 jobs each.
About 18 million worked in California in May, an increase of 17,700 nonfarm jobs from April and up about 92,900 jobs from a year earlier.
Six of the 11 industry sectors added jobs month-over-month, led by private education and health services, up 10,400. The biggest decline was professional and business services, down 4,800 jobs.
People receiving unemployment benefits fell by 17,255 to 384,749.