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California Unemployment Rate Falls To 11.7 Percent

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California's unemployment rate fell slightly in October, to 11.7 percent, from 11.9 percent a month earlier.

The state's Employment Development Department said Friday that the state added 25,700 jobs in October.

California's unemployment rate has been above 11 percent since June 2009, and it's the second highest in the nation, behind Nevada.

Still, October's numbers are an improvement from a year ago, when California's unemployment rate was 12.5 percent.

The national unemployment rate also dropped slightly to 9 percent in October.

The department says construction, education and health services and leisure and hospitality were among the areas that added jobs in October.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.

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