Orange County’s unadjusted unemployment rate fell to 3.7% in December, down from a revised 4.1% in November, according to the state Employment Development Department. A year ago, the December unemployment rate was 7.4%.
This rate compares with California’s December unemployment rate of 5.0% and the U.S.’s 3.7%, the EDD said. The most recent numbers for the county, state and U.S. aren’t seasonally adjusted.
Orange County gained 6,700 jobs for a total of 1.62 million nonfarm employment.
The biggest increase was the leisure and hospitality sector with food services and drinking places leading the gain with 4,700 jobs.
The biggest month-over-month decrease was government, down 2,100 jobs, with all of the decline occurring in the education sector.
The state added 50,700 jobs in December for a total of 16.9 million jobs. In December of 2020, 15.9 million were employed.
California has now regained 72% of the 2,615,800 nonfarm jobs lost during March and April of 2020 as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the EDD said on its website.
Go here for more updates on how OC companies are responding to the coronavirus pandemic.
