Jobless rate rises to 7.5%
After dipping to 6.1% in November, the unemployment rate increase to 7.5% in December, the Employment Development Department reported Friday.
The number of jobless in Humboldt County increased from 3,700 to 4,500 in between November and December. The job market also contracted, with 500 jobs lost in the same time period.
Nonfarm jobs in Humboldt County lost 200 jobs between November and December, dipping from 47,200 to 47,000 jobs, which may not seem like a steep loss. But in December 2019, there were 51,400 nonfarm jobs in the county.
The state as a whole also saw similar drops in jobs in December, with the state’s adjusted unemployment rate increasing to 9%.
“Despite December’s losses, California has regained more than 44 percent of the 2,615,800 nonfarm jobs that were lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March and April,” a release from the EDD stated.
Within Humbolt County itself, there are some variances in the rate by city: Arcata has the highest jobless rate at 11.2% with 1,100 residents jobless. Rio Dell’s rate is also in double-digits at 10.2%. Eureka has an 8% unemployment rate with 1,000 jobless. Fortuna and Ferndale have lower rates at 6.5% and 3% respectively.
Humboldt County is ranked 18th among the state’s 58 counties in the unemployment rate. Mendocino County is ranked 26th with 8.1%; Trinity County is ranked 28th with 8.4%; and Del Norte County is ranked 39th with 9.2%.