(credit: AP)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s unemployment rate has dropped below 12 percent for the first time since August 2009 — another positive sign for the nation’s economy.
The state jobless rate for April was 11.9 percent, the state Employment Development Department announced Friday. That’s the fourth month in a row the jobless rate has declined for the most populous state.
California also showed an increase of about 8,900 payroll jobs for the month. Six industry categories added jobs, with the biggest bump in leisure and hospitality, which added 12,400. Five saw declines, with the largest drop of 11,200 jobs in government.
Nationwide, unemployment rates fell in April in 39 states.
California said about 584,000 people were receiving regular unemployment benefits during the week in April when it conducted its survey. That’s down from about 631,000 in March and 729,000 in April 2010.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
19 Comments
ok Look people it’s simple math, a large Populace ended up on unemployment in 2009. Most people qualify for unemployment for two years. Of coarse we are going to see unemployment start to drop on paper. What they fail to report is that a great some of those people who fell off unemployment are still unemployed. The economy isn’t getting better. Look at the prices of homes as they still continue to decline. Businesses are going out of business at an alarming rate in California and the ones that continue to stay in business are struggling just to make payroll. Wake up and smell the coffee, Ask all your friends who are not working or struggling to make ends meet how the economy is doing. Talk to people who are in construction how the economy is doing. After all construction is the back bone to a great economy.
May 20, 2011 at 9:32 am | | Report comment
I wish the GOP would remember what they promised us was jobs. The only things they have done in way of any jobs is to stop everything Obama has done to try and restart jobs. There will be no jobs without a bigger stimulas. Otherwise where are they going to come from, obvious big business is not going to help, they’re laying off even more and small businesses are trying but it’s not enough. We need millions of jobs and now if we are going to pay down anything. These tea baggers and their small thinking are stupid. It takes money to make money. It takes money to make jobs. All this about educating for more tech jobs is great but that is off in the future. We need jobs now…
May 20, 2011 at 10:05 am | | Report comment
The democrats have made the economy worse during their control for the last 4 years. The GOP has control over only half of congress for 5 months now. Neither side will allow the other to get anything done. Spending more borrowed money will not work. We all knew it was a payment to Wallstreet and the unions. We do need jobs. What have the Democrats in CA done for jobs? Nothing. CA is a big mess. Thanks for nothing you liberal losers!
May 20, 2011 at 10:19 am
A bigger stimulus package?? What? The more government run or manipulted the more things will get worse. Of course the easy fix is to fund by borrowing and taxing more yet like we have seen the superficial fix doesn’t fix the problem, it actually will exacerbate the problem in the next wave. Haven’t we learned our lesson that debt and reliance on governement for support is not a good thing? Why do people continue to ask for it? I just do not get it.
May 20, 2011 at 11:01 am
What would the unemployment rate be if it was illegal to hire an illegal?
May 20, 2011 at 9:47 am | | Report comment
exactly the same as currently it IS illegal to hire a illegal.
So you have the laws and nobody cares.
May 20, 2011 at 9:53 am | | Report comment
The first person to credit Obama or Moonbeam Brown gets their @ss kicked…! This is just a natural economic cycle. had the idiot-in-chief left the economy alone, it would have still rebounded and been healthier for it!
May 20, 2011 at 9:57 am | | Report comment
hey Lance, talk is cheap. Show us the money.
May 20, 2011 at 10:10 am | | Report comment
Name calling and bad language never helps. This is what ‘We the People’ have come to expect from career Democrat and Republican politicians. They blame others, duck issues, and filibuster. They have little to no integrity and almost never make a positive change. We need to look past labels and focus on the issues and elect those who support our needs not those who would try to run our lives.
May 20, 2011 at 10:28 am | | Report comment
Hello many people unemployed are no longer eligible for unemployment so those numbers are just a bunch of propaganda to make californians think that its getting better. Still looking for Work
May 20, 2011 at 10:37 am | | Report comment
Oh Really! Unemployment drops? hahahaha This is all a smoke screen. People are running out of benefits in California and can no longer stay on the unemployment rolls. Here is wording found on CA EDD site regarding unemployed out of benefits.
“Number of individuals who have run out of benefits is now over 420,000.”
More liberal media lies to make you think the liberal administration is doing any good. We all know that things are not getting better for jobs, do not be fooled!
May 20, 2011 at 10:50 am | | Report comment
This is so true. In my case I was denied benefits, so Im one of the lucky ones that has had no income since 10-10, It was all over a unjustified heresay, and since I didnt have the funds to get a lawyer the big corp won. Oh its getting alot better I can see. Now Im loosing my home of 21 years,It is a big Sweep us under the rug campaign. Beware Outthere
May 20, 2011 at 11:15 am | | Report comment
And California unemployment will continue to drop as more people run out of benefits, move away, starve to death, etc.
May 20, 2011 at 11:20 am | | Report comment
I agree!
May 20, 2011 at 2:38 pm | | Report comment
HEY LOOK PEOPLE!!! A lot of unemployment recipients fell off the unemployment list because they RAN OUT OF BENEFITS!!! So now the unemployment numbers look GOOD!! LIARS!
May 20, 2011 at 12:45 pm | | Report comment
It declined coz they left California for a better earnings for a better life.
May 20, 2011 at 12:59 pm | | Report comment
HA, HA, HA. BEEN SMOKING THAT MEDICAL MARIJUANA, OR BUYING IT FROM THE ILLEGALS THAT”S POURING INTO THE STATE? SEND THE ILLEGALS HOME THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF JOBS FOR LEGAL AMERICAN CITIZENS. AND PLEASE DON’T GIVE ME THAT B.S. THAT THEY ONLY DO WORK THAT AMERICAN WON’T DO!
May 20, 2011 at 1:29 pm | | Report comment
Oh please the Unemployment did not drop! The fact is that everyones Unemployment is being exhausted, therefore they cannot claim Unemployment any more. Someone needs to get the facts!
May 20, 2011 at 2:37 pm | | Report comment
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October 2, 2011 at 10:53 am | | Report comment