Business & Tech
As RivCo Gets Back To Work, Unemployed Told To 'Start Searching'
Riverside County and statewide unemployment numbers continue to improve, so the EDD has a message for people collecting benefits: Get a job.
RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — With gains across almost all sectors of the regional economy, Riverside County's jobless rate dropped last month, according to figures released Friday by the California Employment Development Department.
The unemployment rate in May, based on preliminary estimates, was 7.2 percent, compared to 7.5 percent in April, the EDD said.
The May rate was nearly nine percentage points lower than the year-ago level, when countywide unemployment stood at 15.7 percent amid coronavirus closures.
Find out what's happening in Murrietafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
About 79,500 residents were out of work last month, and 1,027,200 were employed, according to the EDD.
Coachella had the highest unemployment rate countywide in May at 12.4 percent, followed by Mecca at 11.3 percent, Winchester at 10.6 percent, Hemet at 10.4 percent and Desert Hot Springs at 10.3 percent.
Find out what's happening in Murrietafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The combined unemployment rate for Riverside and San Bernardino counties in May was also 7.2 percent, down from 7.5 percent in April, according to the EDD.
Bi-county data indicated that, as in March and April, payrolls expanded by the widest margin in the hospitality sector, which added 3,300 positions last month, with the public sector posting the next-highest amount — 1,800.
Additional gains were recorded in the agricultural, construction, financial services, health services, information technology, manufacturing and warehousing sectors, which altogether added 5,800 jobs.
Another 600 jobs were created in miscellaneous unclassified industries, according to figures.
Only the professional business services sector trimmed payrolls, by 500 positions, data showed.
The statewide non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in May was 7.5 percent.
The jobless rate may decline further in the months to come. Governor Gavin Newsom's administration announced Thursday that beginning July 11, Californians receiving unemployment insurance will need to actively seek employment in order to keep getting benefits.
The federal law requiring people to apply for jobs while on unemployment was temporarily waived during the pandemic due to the historic number of businesses ordered closed. Since March 2020, the California Employment Development Department has also allowed residents to forgo the work-search rule.
However, on Thursday, department officials announced that the exception will end early July.
Read more here about the change.