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Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Local Jobs Data Show Progress

Local Jobs Data Show Progress By BRAD SMITH Staff Reporter Unemployment in California dropped by 0.1 percent in June, and Los Angeles County saw a similar decline, according to the state employment department. “There’s a larger trend going on, and the trend is that employers are putting people into jobs,” said Brad Kemp, an Employment Development Department analyst who studies the labor market in Los Angeles County. “It’s a slow, normal, growth (rate), but I do think there’s a lot of good news on the horizon.” Some 4.5 million county residents were working in June, with 318,000 unemployed. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the county dropped from 6.7 percent in May to 6.6 percent in June, down from 7.1 percent in June, 2003. The same figures for the state were 6.3 percent in May and 6.2 percent in June, down from 6.8 percent in June, 2003. Nationally, unemployment remained steady at 5.6 percent in May and June, down from 6.3 percent in June, 2003. The increase in employment statewide jibes with forecasts by analysts that the unemployment rate in the county should drop to 6 percent in 2005. “The thing that jumps out at us there is that statewide, manufacturing seems to be turning the corner,” said Jack Kyser, chief economist with the non-profit Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. “There are no signs of it turning the corner in Los Angeles yet, which is a little disturbing.” In Los Angeles County, new hires were reported between May and June in the trade, transportation, and utilities sector, with 4,900 new positions; leisure and hospitality, with 3,800; construction, 2,100; business and professional services, also 2,100; other services, 1,000; financial activities, 500; and manufacturing, 100. Financial cuts Even in sectors that have reported growth, however, there have been some losses at local employers. At Washington Mutual, which has 20,000 employees in California, some 9,000 positions have been lost nationwide since last year. “The dynamics of interest rates have the mortgage business moving in a different direction than the economy generally,” said Tim McGarry, a Washington Mutual spokesman. “We have not made projections for the coming quarters, but the overall program of reductions continues and we have done layoffs.” Industries that reported job losses in Los Angeles County between May and June included information services, down 8,900 jobs; educational and health services, down 4,000; and government, down 2,500. Many of those lost, at least in education and government service, are related to the end of the academic year and the financial health of state and local government, Kemp said. “Telecommunications and the information sector have seen some pretty significant declines, but a large percentage of the loss over the last month is because of education and government winding down for the summer,” he said. “And government will probably continue to see a decline until the (state’s) budget situation changes.” Unemployment Local rates for June 2004. Los Angeles 7.7 percent Agoura Hills 3.3 percent Burbank 4.7 percent Glendale 6.4 percent Lancaster 6.4 percent Palmdale 6.3 percent San Fernando 8.9 percent Santa Clarita 3.2 percent Source California Employment Development Dept.

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