Jobless rate falls 0.5 percent

Santa Clarita’s workforce grows during September; rate goes from 4.4 to 4.9

Santa Clarita’s workforce grew in September, and with it came more jobs.

The city’s jobless rate is now 4.4 percent, a decrease from 4.9 percent in August, according to the State of California’s Employment Development Department.

“The city is pleased to see the unemployment rate go down in our community,” Denise Covert, Economic Development Associate for Santa Clarita said. “These numbers solidify what we are hearing from the business community, which is that our labor market continues to be strong. Our community has a highly-skilled labor market and it’s rewarding to see so many of our residents working.”

The jobless rate was 4.8 percent in July, 4.1 percent in June and 3.7 percent in May.

There were 4,400 people without jobs in the city last month out of the 99,200-person workforce.

In August, 4,800 people were jobless of the 98,300-person workforce.

Last September, the jobless rate was 4.8 percent in Santa Clarita.

In the county, the unemployment rate increased from 4.8 percent in August to 4.9 in September. A year ago, the jobless rate in Los Angeles County was 5.2 percent.

The county’s labor force rose by 31,000 to 5,163,000 people from August to September.

California’s jobless rate stayed

the same from August to September at 5.1 percent. Last September, the state saw 5.3 percent unemployment.

Nationally, the

jobless rate dropped to 4.2 percent in September from 4.4 percent in August. Last year, it was 4.9 percent.

The city of Los Angeles experienced a 5.1 percent jobless rate in September, leaving 107,500 people of the labor force of 2,094,80

without a job.

Long Beach had a 5.3 percent jobless rate, with 13,100 of 246,200 without work.

Palmdale’s jobless rate was 6.5 percent, Lancaster’s was 5.4 percent and San Fernando’s was 5.7 percent.