LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Unemployment in California and in Lake County increased slightly in March as employment figures for the rest of the country appeared to show improvement.

The California Employment Development Department’s latest report, released Friday, showed that the state’s unemployment increased slightly to 11 percent in March, rising from 10.9 percent in February. The state’s March 2011 unemployment rate was 11.9 percent.

Lake County’s unemployment rate last month was 16.8 percent, up from the revised February rate of 16.5 percent but down from 18.1 percent in March 2011, according to Dennis Mullins of the Employment Development Department’s North Coast Region Labor Market Information Division in Eureka.

California derives its unemployment rate from a federal survey of 5,500 California households, and uses a survey of 42,000 California businesses to measure job growth in  the economy.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the nation’s March unemployment rate was 8.2 percent, down from 8.3 percent in February.

The bureau also issued a Friday report that said unemployment was down in 30 states, with the West continuing to show the highest regional unemployment rate in March. At the same time, some Southern and Midwestern states were showing improvements in employment.

Based on the state’s newest unemployment figures, Lake County was ranked 43 out of California’s 58 counties for its March jobless rate.

Lake’s surrounding counties' employment figures were as follows: Colusa, 26.2 percent, No. 57; Glenn, 17.7 percent, No. 48; Mendocino, 11.5 percent, No. 20; Napa, 9 percent, No. 7; Sonoma County, 9.5 percent, No. 9; and Yolo, 14.2 percent, No. 32.

Marin, with 7 percent unemployment, continued to have the lowest unemployment in the state, while Colusa tied with Imperial County for No. 57, both reporting 26.2 percent jobless rates.

Mullins said Lake County wage and salary employment increased 20 jobs between February and March and remained up 540 jobs over the year.

He said there was year-over job growth in the following categories: farm, 420; trade, transportation and utilities, 90; professional and business services, 40; leisure and hospitality, 10; other services, 40; and government, 10.

The financial activities sector had no change over the year, Mullins reported.

Industry sectors that showed year-over declines included mining, logging and construction, 20; manufacturing, 10; information, 10; private educational and health services, 50, Mullins reported.

Statewide, there were 570,089 people receiving regular unemployment insurance benefits during the March survey week, compared with 565,418 last month and 630,829 last year, according to the report.

New claims for unemployment insurance were 55,393 in March 2012, compared with 55,287 in February and 61,076 in March of last year, the report showed.

A separate state report on county residents claiming unemployment – which only had numbers through February – showed that 2,634 Lake County residents claimed unemployment benefits in January and 2,553 in February.

Jobs increase but unemployment rate still rises

Despite California’s slight upward unemployment rate increase, the Friday report showed that nonfarm payroll jobs totaled 14,237,300 in March, an increase of 18,200 during the month for a total gain of 385,900 jobs since the recovery began in September 2009. February had seen a job increase of 38,600.

The year-over-year change – March 2011 to March 2012 – shows an increase of 181,000 jobs, up 1.3 percent, the state reported.

The federal survey of households, done with a smaller sample than the survey of employers, showed an increase in the number of employed people, and estimated the number of Californians holding jobs in March was 16,457,000, an increase of 2,000 from February, and up 278,000 from the employment total in March 2011.

The number of people unemployed in California was 2,031,000 – up by 19,000 over the month, but down by 148,000 compared with March of last year, the report showed.   

In March, seven categories – mining and logging; trade, transportation and utilities; financial  activities; professional and business services; educational and health services; leisure  and hospitality; and government – added jobs over the month, gaining 37,800 jobs, the state reported. Leisure and hospitality posted the largest increase over the month, adding 13,800 jobs.   

The state said four job categories – construction; manufacturing; information; and other services – reported job declines over the month, down 19,600 jobs. Information posted the largest decrease over the month, down 13,400 jobs.  

Eight categories – mining and logging; construction; trade, transportation and utilities; information; financial activities; professional and business services; educational and health services; and leisure and hospitality – posted job gains over the year, adding 235,200 jobs, the report showed.

Professional and business services posted the largest gain on a numerical basis, adding 66,300 jobs, a 3.1-percent increase, while information posted the largest gain on a percentage basis, up 3.8 percent, adding 16,300 jobs, the report showed.

Three categories – manufacturing, other services and government – posted job declines over the year, down 54,200 jobs. The monthly report said government posted the largest decline on both a numerical and percentage basis, losing 46,000 jobs, or experiencing a decrease of 1.9 percent.

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