County unemployment rate rises to 3.8 percent in January

San Diego County’s unadjusted unemployment rate rose to 3.8 percent in January, the highest point in more than a year, the California Employment Development Department reported Friday, March 8.

Unemployment hadn’t been above 3.5 percent countywide since August, according to the EDD, which is scheduled to release February data later this month.

The revised unemployment rate for the region was 3.1 percent in December and 3.6 percent in January 2018.

Nonfarm industries shed 23,700 jobs from December to January, while total farm employment remained unchanged from December’s revised total of 8,100.

The trade, transportation and utilities industry lost the most jobs of any industry in the county between December and January, with a net loss of 9,800. The construction and leisure and hospitality industries both lost more than 2,000 jobs, while government jobs decreased by an even 2,000. The mining and logging industry was the only one that held steady at its December jobs total, with 300.

Year-over-year nonfarm employment in January increased by 22,300, from 1,459,900 to 1,482,200, according to the EDD. The educational and health services industry and the leisure and hospitality industry both showed gains of more than 6,000 jobs from January 2018 to January 2019.

Construction, information and trade, transportation and utilities jobs all showed year-over-year losses. Total farm employment also lost 300 jobs from 8,400 in January 2018 to 8,100 in January 2019, according to EDD data.

The state’s unemployment rate sat at an unadjusted 4.8 percent in January 2019, one percentage point above the state’s January 2018 rate.

National unemployment rose to an unadjusted 4.5 percent in January.