Orange County’s unemployment rate was 3.6% in January, up from 3.2% a month earlier but down from last year, according to a report from the state Economic Development Department on Friday.
The rise in the unemployment rate from the previous month isn’t surprising: hirings for the December holiday season typically lower unemployment, with the rate rising after the workers are let go in January.
The unemployment rate was 4.1% last January. The county added 29,700 jobs in the past year for a total of 1,485,400 nonfarm workers.
California’s unemployment picture didn’t follow the normal seasonal trend. The state’s rate was 4.9% in January, down from 5.1% in December and 5.8% last January.
The transportation, trade and utilities sectors led California’s job gains in January. Overall, there were 16,856,000 workers in the state in the month, up by 295,000 from a year ago.
Temporary workers, administrative staff and the construction sector led gains in OC.
