Orange County Unemployment Numbers Decline In June

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — With the local economy on the roller-coaster ride of coronavirus closures, reopenings, and closures again, the Employment Development Department reported jobless rates dropped in June.

The Journal reported that retailers and restaurants reopened last month across the county, adding 71,600 jobs for a total of 1.49 million non-farm employment.

In mid-March, many southern California businesses were forced to shut down in the midst of the growing coronavirus pandemic. Four months later many are still suffering financial hardship while striving to rehire employees. These same businesses are balking at orders from the governor's office to close once again.

Orange County's June jobless rate was 13.7 percent, down from 14.5 percent in May. Last year, the jobless rate was a mere 2.9 percent.

According to the Orange County Business Journal, the most substantial job increase in Orange County was in the "leisure and hospitality sector" due to reopenings in food services and bars. Transportation and utility jobs also saw growth, as did retail trade with the reopenings of stores.

There is no yet word on how renewed closures will affect unemployment in the coming weeks.

The Los Angeles County unemployment rate dipped to 19.4 percent in June, down from 21.1 percent in May, according to figures released Friday by the state Employment Development Department.

The 19.4 percent rate was well above the 4.4 percent rate from the pre-coronavirus era of June 2019.

Statewide, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 14.9 percent in June, down from 16.4 percent in May, but well above the 4 percent rate from June 2019. The comparable estimates for the nation were 11.1 percent in June, 13.3 percent in May, and 3.7 percent in June 2019.

According to the EDD, total non-farm employment in Los Angeles County increased by 147,000 jobs between May and June to reach nearly 4.1 million.

The reopenings of restaurants and drinking establishments drove the increase, contributing to a 68,200-job gain in the leisure and hospitality sector.