County's Jobless Rate Settles Close to 6 Percent

By City News Service, photo via Shutterstock

Riverside County’s jobless rate fell to 6.2 percent last month on the heels of healthy gains in multiple sectors of the regional economy, state officials reported today.

The unemployment rate in April, based on preliminary estimates, was four- tenths of a percentage point lower than in March, according to the California Employment Development Department.

The rate was down nearly 2 percentage points compared to a year ago, when county unemployment stood at 7.8 percent, EDD data showed.

The countywide civilian labor force numbered about 1.016 million people, with 63,300 out of work in April.

The combined unemployment rate for Riverside and San Bernardino counties last month also was 6.2 percent, down from 6.5 percent the prior month.

Data indicated payrolls expanded by the widest margin in professional and business services, which added 3,700 jobs.

The manufacturing, hospitality, information services and public sectors fueled further growth, altogether adding 2,500 positions, according to the EDD.

Educational and health services posted the steepest decline, shedding 1,100 jobs in April. Smaller losses were recorded in the construction, agricultural, financial services and retail trade sectors of the economy, figures showed.

According to the EDD, the state’s non-seasonally-adjusted jobless rate in April was 6.1 percent.