LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County's unemployment picture remained mostly unchanged in March, according to a recent state report.
The California Employment Development Department's monthly report on the workforce showed that Lake County's March unemployment was 11.5 percent, unchanged from a revised 11.5 percent in February and below the March 2013 estimate of 13.2 percent.
Statewide, March unemployment was at 8.1 percent, also unchanged from the previous month, but down from the 9.2 percent figure recorded in March 2013, the report showed.
The number of people unemployed in California was 1,504,000 – up by 5,000 over the month, but down by 211,000 compared with March of last year, the report said.
Despite the state's flat unemployment picture, the Employment Development Department said nonfarm jobs in California totaled 15,365,500 in March, an increase of 11,800 jobs over the month, according to a survey of 58,000 businesses.
From March 2013 to this past March, the Employment Development Department calculated an increase of 325,100 jobs, or 2.2 percent, across California.
A federal survey of 5,500 California households showed an increase in the number of employed people, estimating that 17,156,000 Californians held jobs in March, an increase of 43,000 from February, and up 252,000 from the employment total in March of last year, the Employment Development Department said.
Nationally, the picture was the same, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting that March unemployment was at 6.7 percent, the same as February, but down from the 7.5 percent recorded in March 2013.
Once again, Marin County had the lowest unemployment statewide in March, 4.7 percent, with Colusa County registering the highest, at 24.5 percent.
March industry unemployment figures for Lake County showed an 8.1-percent loss in total farm jobs – amounting to a decrease of 70 jobs. Overall, total nonfarm jobs rose by 0.6 percent.
Total jobs for the county in March were 15,140, up 20 from February, according to the data. There were 3,080 unemployed people in Lake County in March, down 10 from February.
Besides Colusa, Lake's neighboring counties ranked as follows in March, according to the Employment Development Department: Glenn, No. 42, 12.9 percent; Mendocino, No. 16, 7.8 percent; Napa, No. 5, 6.0 percent; Sonoma, No. 8, 6.2 percent; and Yolo, No. 29, 10.1 percent.
The Employment Development Department reported that there were 510,919 people receiving regular
Unemployment Insurance benefits during the March survey week, compared with 539,062 in February and 532,831 in March 2013.
New claims for unemployment insurance were 52,755 in March, compared with 65,494 in February and 58,842 in March of last year, the report showed.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.