(The Center Square) – California continues to have America’s second-highest unemployment rate, according to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report.
California’s unemployment rate was 5.5% in July. The only place with a worse rate was Washington, D.C., at 6%, the bureau said.
The nation’s capital also had the highest unemployment rate in June at 5.9%, with California in the second worst spot at 5.4%.
California saw 1,088,641 people without jobs in July, up from 1,070,414 in June.
Although California’s unemployment rate climbed slightly in July, the Golden State added 15,000 nonfarm, payroll jobs in 11 major industries, according to the state Employment Development Department. The number of people employed in those 11 sectors was 18,022,700 in July.
Six industries gained jobs in July, according to the EDD. The sector with the biggest gain was “private education and health services,” which saw the creation of 23,100 jobs in “health care and social assistance” and 12,600 positions in “ambulatory health care services.”
In the government sector, California saw a gain of 7,200 local jobs and 400 state positions. The number of federal government positions fell by 400 in July.
The state’s largest month-over-month loss came in the “professional and business services” category, the EDD said. The area includes specialized design, computer design, and scientific research and development, all of which have experienced losses each month this year.
California has gained a total of 3,102,900 jobs since April 2020, an average of 49,252 a month, according to the EDD.
