Unemployed In Orange County: Hospitality Industry Workers Suffer

ORANGE COUNTY, CA—Unemployment in Orange County showed the December jobless rate rose, according to figures released Friday by the state Employment Development Department. According to the agency, the leisure and hospitality sector posted the biggest job losses, likely due to resurgent public health concerns due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The county's rate of unemployment was 7.4%, raising one percent from 6.4% in November.

Statewide, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 9% in December, up from 8.1% in November, but well above the 3.9% rate from December 2019. The nation's comparable estimates were 6.7% in December, 6.7% in November, and 3.6% in December 2019.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate inched upward to 11% in Los Angeles County in December, up from a revised 10.9% in November.

The 11% rate was well above the 4.3% rate from the pre-coronavirus era of December 2019.

There are no seasonally adjusted numbers for Orange County.

According to the EDD, total nonfarm employment in Los Angeles County dropped by 23,900 jobs between November and December to reach more than 4.2 million.

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