Orange County’s unemployment rate rose to 2.9% in June from a revised 2.4% in May and below the 6.9% rate seen in June last year, according to the state’s Employment Development Department.
The state’s unemployment rate was 4.0% in June while the U.S.’s was 3.8%.
Nonfarm OC employment gained 4,900 jobs from May to June when 1.66 million were employed.
The county remains below the February 2020 pre-pandemic employment level of 1.68 million jobs. The OC economy has added 79,000 jobs since June 2021.
Eight of the 11 industry sectors saw job increases.
For the fifth straight month, leading the job increase was the leisure and hospitality sector, which added 2,000 jobs, with the gains centered around food services and drinking places, up 1,800.
Manufacturing added 1,600 jobs and the trade, transportation and utilities sector was up 1,300.
Educational and health services experienced the largest decline, 2,000 jobs, as schools closed for the summer.
Construction also fell 1,800 jobs.
About 17.5 million worked in California in April, an increase of 19,900 nonfarm payroll jobs from May and up about 850,600 jobs from a year earlier.
The state has now recovered 94% of the 2.76 million jobs lost in March and April of 2020 due to the pandemic.
Seven of the 11 industry sectors added jobs month-over-month, led by trade,transportation and utilities up 9,600, thanks to strength in retail.
The largest reduction was both in professional and business services, down 6,100, and construction, off 6,100 as well.
People receiving unemployment benefits fell by 33,842 to 296,570, down from 330,412 in May.
