Orange County’s unadjusted unemployment rate fell to 2.6% in April from a revised 3.2% in March and below the year-ago estimate of 2.7%, according to the state Employment Development Department.
California’s unemployment rate was 3.9% and the U.S.’s was 3.3%. The most recent April numbers for the county, state and U.S. aren’t seasonally adjusted. Orange County’s lowest-ever unemployment rate was 2.2% in December 1999.
OC nonfarm employment increased by 7,100 jobs to 1.66 million. Seven of the 11 sectors reported increases in April while three sectors reported declines and one was unchanged.
The biggest increase was leisure and hospitality, which added 4,700 jobs, led by food services and drinking places. Construction climbed 1,300 jobs.
The largest decline was government, which lost 300 jobs, followed by a 200 job drop in financial activities.
About 17.4 million people worked in California outside of agriculture in April, up about 46,000 from March and 271,600 from a year earlier.
Statewide, nine of 11 industry sectors added jobs month-over-month, led by educational and health services, followed by leisure and hospitality, up 12,100 jobs. The information sector reported the biggest decline, down 600 jobs.
People receiving unemployment benefits fell to 364,431 in April from 387,767 in March. The April number last year was 390,362.
