Californias employment winning streak started its ninth year as local bosses added 333,000 workers in the 12 months ended in August and unemployment fell in a month to 4.3 percent.
Here is what my trusty spreadsheet tells me are 12 key California job market trends for August from the state Employment Development Departments monthly report: August data (seasonally unadjusted figures comparable to county-level stats) vs. a year ago and the average of the previous five years …
1. Jobs: 17.13 million compared to 16.79 million a year ago — up 333,000 or 1.98 percent — vs. 15.88 million 5-year average. Its the largest job count this century for any August.
2. Job growth: That 1.98 percent growth rate compared to 1.99 percent a year ago and 2.41 percent two years ago.
3. Recovery: California has had year-over-year job growth for 97 consecutive months dating to August 2010. In this post-recession rebound, 2.91 million jobs were created — a 2.36 percent annualized hiring pace. (The previous streak was for 50 months and ended in February 2008, adding 899,000 jobs or a 1.5 percent yearly growth rate.) And, those hires equal 15 percent of all new U.S. jobs created in the eight-year period.
4. Unemployment rate, unadjusted: 4.3 percent compared with 4.4 percent the previous month; 4.9 percent a year ago; and a 6.9 percent 5-year average. And its the lowest jobless rate this century for any August. Comparable U.S. rate? 3.9 percent for August.
5. Number of jobless: 825,600 compared to 959,000 a year ago — down 133,400 or 13.9 percent — vs. an average 1.31 million over five years.
6. Goods-producing jobs: 2.24 million compared to 2.19 million a year ago — up 46,300 or 2.1 percent — vs. 2.03 million over five years.
7. Service jobs: 14.89 million compared to 14.61 million a year ago — up 286,700 or 2.0 percent — vs. 13.85 million over five years. This is the biggest service staffing since 2000 for any August.
8. Private-sector jobs: 14.65 million compared to 14.36 million a year ago — up 296,900 or 2.1 percent — vs. 13.43 million over five years. Biggest staffing for any August this century for private employers.
9. Government jobs: 2.47 million compared to 2.44 million a year ago — up 36,100 or 1.5 percent — vs. 2.45 million over five years. This is the largest August government job count this century.
10. Regional split: 21 northern coastal counties — with 41 percent of workers statewide — had 3.77 percent unemployment vs. five southern coastal counties — with 46 percent of California employment — with 4.33 percent joblessness vs. 32 inland counties — with 13 percent of the employed — at 5.55 percent unemployed.
11. Lowest unemployment counties: San Mateo at 2.3 percent then Marin and San Francisco at 2.4 percent.
12. Highest, by county: Imperial at 20.3 percent then Tulare at 8.7 percent and Colusa at 8.2 percent.
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