Orange County’s unemployment rate rose to 4.1% in January, up from a revised 3.9% in December and unchanged from 4.1% a year ago, according to the state’s Employment Development Department.
The state’s unemployment rate was 5.5% while the U.S.’s was 4.7%, the EDD said.
Labor Force and Industry data contained in this release differ from previous information due to the U.S. Department of Labor’s annual revision process, the EDD said in a statement.
Nonfarm OC employment declined by 20,400 jobs to 1.7 million on a month-over-month basis. However, year over year, job employment increased by 2,100 jobs, led by private education and health services, which were up 14,600.
Nine of the 11 sectors reported month-over-month declines, led by trade, transportation, and utilities, off 7,600. The bulk of the drop was in retail trade, down 5,600 jobs, which is typical after the holiday season.
Professional and business services reported the second largest decline, down 4,500 jobs, particularly in waste management and remediation services.
The state reported 18.16 million jobs, up 93,500 jobs from December; it’s the largest month-over-month gain since January 2024. The biggest gain was 31,800 in the Private Education and Health Services sector, “driven by California’s aging population,” the EDD said.
