California Employers Add 12,000 Jobs; Unemployment Rate Falls To 10.6 Percent

As unemployment statistics continue to provide little hope for job seekers, some states are adding jobs and attempting to enlighten their economy.

California employers added about 12,000 nonfarm jobs in August. This made last month the 13th straight month of net job gains.

The unemployment rate managed to dip slightly to 10.6 percent from 10.7 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Employers across six industries added jobs, with education and health services posting the largest over-the-month increase with 8,900 jobs. The leisure and hospitality industry added 4,400 jobs.

California employers shed jobs in other industries such as professional and business services, which lost 2,300 jobs. The steepest job losses, however, were in government, which shed 7,400 jobs last month.

The report also showed that the state's labor force shrunk by 77,100 in August as job seekers stopped actively looking for work

The Bureau of Labor Statistics also reported that July's job gains were revised downward. The state added 17,900 jobs that month instead of 25,200, as initially reported. In the last year, California employers have added 298,700 net jobs.  

California has the third-highest unemployment rate, behind Nevada, which saw its jobless rate rise to 12.1% in August, and Rhode Island at 10.7%.

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