SACRAMENTO – California’s unemployment rate increased to 12.5 percent
in December, and nonfarm payroll jobs increased by 4,900 during the month,
according to data released today by the California Employment Development
Department (EDD) from two separate surveys.

The U.S. unemployment rate decreased in December to 9.4 percent.
In December 2009, the unemployment rate in California was 12.3 percent. The
unemployment rate is derived from a federal survey of 5,500 California
households.

Nonfarm jobs in California totaled 13,897,100 in December, an increase of 4,900
jobs over the month, according to a survey of businesses that is larger and less
variable statistically. The survey of 42,000 California businesses measures jobs in
the economy. The year-over-year change (December 2009 to December 2010)
shows an increase of 87,500 jobs (up 0.6 percent).

EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT IN CALIFORNIA
The federal survey of households, done with a smaller sample than the survey of
employers, shows a decrease in the number of employed people during the
month. It estimates the number of Californians holding jobs in December was
15,946,000, a decrease of 25,000 from November, but up 78,000 from the
employment total in December of last year.

The number of people unemployed in California was 2,269,000 – up by 3,000
over the month, and up by 35,000 compared with December of last year.

PAYROLL EMPLOYMENT DETAIL (SEASONALLY ADJUSTED)
EDD’s report on payroll employment (wage and salary jobs) in the nonfarm industries of
California totaled 13,897,100 in December, a net gain of 4,900 jobs since the November
survey. This followed a gain of 30,500 jobs (as revised) in November.

Seven categories (manufacturing; information; financial activities; professional and
business services; educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; and
other services) added jobs over the month, gaining 33,700 jobs. Leisure and
hospitality posted the largest increase over the month, adding 9,300 jobs. Four
categories (mining and logging; construction; trade, transportation and utilities; and
government) reported job declines this month, down 28,800 jobs. Government
posted the largest decline over the month, down by 15,400 jobs.

In a year-over-year comparison (December 2009 to December 2010), nonfarm payroll
employment in California increased by 87,500 jobs (up 0.6 percent).

Seven industry divisions (manufacturing; information; financial activities; professional
and business services; educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; and
other services) posted job gains over the year, adding 146,700 jobs. Professional and
business services recorded the largest increase over the year on both a numerical and
percentage basis, up 66,900 jobs (a 3.3 percent increase). One category, mining and
logging, recorded no change over the year.

Three categories (construction; trade, transportation and utilities; and government)
posted job declines over the year, down 59,200 jobs. Construction employment showed
the largest decline over the year on both a numerical and percentage basis, down by
32,900 jobs (a 5.8 percent decline).

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE CLAIMS (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED)
In related data, the EDD reported that there were 599,221 people receiving regular
unemployment insurance benefits during the December survey week. This compares
with 600,196 last month and 792,764 last year. At the same time, new claims for
unemployment insurance were 87,289 in December 2010, compared with 72,768 in
November and 80,873 in December of last year.

NOTE TO EDITORS: EDD encourages those who are filing for Unemployment
Insurance (UI) benefits to do so online through our Web site at www.edd.ca.gov.
Online claim filing is the fastest, most convenient way to apply for UI benefits,
and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Seasonally adjusted payroll detail follows:

PAYROLL EMPLOYMENT, SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA2
(Amounts in thousands)
Industrial Classification December 2010
(prelim.)
November 2010
(revised)
December 2009
Change Over
12 Months
(Percent)
Nonagricultural Wage and
Salary Workers . . . . . . . . . . . . 13,897.1 13,892.2 13,809.6 0.6
Mining and logging . . . . . . . . 24.1 25.1 24.1 0.0
Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535.6 538.8 568.5 -5.8
Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . 1,244.1 1,239.7 1,231.2 1.0
Trade, transportation and
utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,568.9 2,578.1 2,573.5 -0.2
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451.0 448.0 449.5 0.3
Financial activities . . . . . . . . 785.5 779.3 782.5 0.4
Professional and business
services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,085.7 2,078.7 2,018.8 3.3
Educational and health
services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,777.9 1,774.2 1,747.2 1.8
Leisure and hospitality . . . . .
Other services . . . . . . . . . . .
Government* . . . . . . . . . . . .
1,502.9
472.3
2,449.1
1,493.6
472.2
2,464.5
1,476.2
467.3
2,470.8
1.8
1.1
-0.9
Agriculture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371.0 373.0 370.4 0.2
*Includes all civilian employees of federal, state, and local governments.

TABLE A
EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT IN CALIFORNIA, SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA2
December 2010
(prelim.)
November 2010
(revised)
October 2010 December 2009
Civilian labor force
a
. . . . . . . . . . 18,215,000 18,237,000 18,228,000 18,102,000
Total civilian employment . . . . . . 15,946,000 15,971,000 15,972,000 15,868,000
Unemployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,269,000 2,266,000 2,256,000 2,234,000
Seasonally adjusted rate % . . . . 12.5 12.4 12.4 12.3
US seasonally adjusted rate % . 9.4 9.8 9.7 9.9

TABLE B
EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT IN CALIFORNIA, UNADJUSTED DATA
December 2010
(prelim.)
November 2010
(revised)
October 2010 December 2009
Civilian labor force
a
. . . . . . . . . . 18,137,000 18,240,000 18,221,000 18,035,000
Total civilian employment . . . . . . 15,906,000 15,978,000 16,045,000 15,839,000
Unemployment . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,231,000 2,262,000 2,176,000 2,195,000
Unadjusted rate % . . . . . . . . . 12.3 12.4 11.9 12.2
a
Labor force by place of residence including workers involved in trade disputes.
2Seasonal adjustment is a statistical method that removes typical employment patterns that occur at various times
throughout the year (e.g., additional retail hiring during the holiday season).

MONTHLY LABOR FORCE DATA FOR COUNTIES
December 2010 (Preliminary); 2009 BENCHMARK
NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED
COUNTY LABOR FORCE EMPLOYMENT UNEMPLOYMENT RATE*
STATE TOTAL 18,136,800 15,906,000 2,230,900 12.3%
ALAMEDA 745,700 664,900 80,800 10.8%
ALPINE 480 420 70 13.7%
AMADOR 17,410 15,120 2,290 13.1%
BUTTE 104,700 90,200 14,500 13.8%
CALAVERAS 19,520 16,360 3,170 16.2%
COLUSA 11,680 8,740 2,940 25.2%
CONTRA COSTA 516,900 460,400 56,500 10.9%
DEL NORTE 11,570 9,990 1,580 13.6%
EL DORADO 89,800 78,400 11,400 12.7%
FRESNO 441,600 365,500 76,100 17.2%
GLENN 12,960 10,750 2,200 17.0%
HUMBOLDT 60,400 53,500 6,800 11.3%
IMPERIAL 75,300 54,000 21,300 28.3%
INYO 9,620 8,690 930 9.7%
KERN 370,200 310,100 60,100 16.2%
KINGS 61,900 51,500 10,400 16.8%
LAKE 24,710 19,990 4,720 19.1%
LASSEN 13,290 11,340 1,950 14.7%
LOS ANGELES 4,901,700 4,280,400 621,300 12.7%
MADERA 67,400 56,600 10,800 16.0%
MARIN 129,200 119,000 10,200 7.9%
MARIPOSA 9,250 7,980 1,270 13.7%
MENDOCINO 42,810 37,850 4,960 11.6%
MERCED 105,800 84,500 21,300 20.1%
MODOC 3,810 3,190 610 16.1%
MONO 8,920 8,110 810 9.1%
MONTEREY 207,600 173,500 34,100 16.4%
NAPA 72,600 64,900 7,700 10.6%
NEVADA 50,550 44,900 5,650 11.2%
ORANGE 1,592,600 1,451,300 141,300 8.9%
PLACER 173,300 153,900 19,400 11.2%
PLUMAS 8,500 6,710 1,790 21.0%
RIVERSIDE 905,000 776,500 128,600 14.2%
SACRAMENTO 670,900 586,300 84,600 12.6%
SAN BENITO 26,600 21,400 5,200 19.4%
SAN BERNARDINO 855,600 738,800 116,800 13.7%
SAN DIEGO 1,559,300 1,402,400 156,900 10.1%
SAN FRANCISCO 450,600 409,200 41,400 9.2%
SAN JOAQUIN 298,900 245,100 53,800 18.0%
SAN LUIS OBISPO 135,400 122,200 13,200 9.7%
SAN MATEO 364,900 334,700 30,200 8.3%
SANTA BARBARA 220,400 199,500 20,900 9.5%
SANTA CLARA 870,400 779,900 90,500 10.4%
SANTA CRUZ 146,800 126,500 20,300 13.8%
SHASTA 83,600 70,200 13,400 16.0%
SIERRA 1,580 1,310 270 16.8%
SISKIYOU 19,610 15,880 3,720 19.0%
SOLANO 211,300 185,700 25,600 12.1%
SONOMA 255,400 230,000 25,400 10.0%
STANISLAUS 237,000 195,200 41,800 17.6%
SUTTER 41,800 32,800 9,000 21.5%
TEHAMA 24,900 21,000 3,900 15.7%
TRINITY 4,920 3,910 1,010 20.5%
TULARE 208,800 171,900 36,900 17.7%
TUOLUMNE 25,810 22,260 3,550 13.7%
VENTURA 429,100 383,400 45,700 10.6%
YOLO 98,800 84,700 14,200 14.3%
YUBA 27,600 22,200 5,400 19.4%