INLAND EMPIRE – (INT) – Unemployment in Riverside and San Bernardino counties appears to have leveled off after several months of decline.

The State Department of Employment estimated Friday that the August rate was 4.2% for the Inland Empire. That’s a slight increase from the May rate of 3.4% which has been the lowest of the year.

Over the last 12-months, payrolls have increased by 89,300 or 5-point-7 percent. About one-third were in trade, transportation, and utilities.

In August, the state added jobs for the eleventh consecutive month, making employment gains across several sectors:
• Last month, California created 19,900 nonfarm jobs across seven sectors.
• The state has added jobs for eleven consecutive months, with the increase over this period totaling 690,000 jobs.
• 98.3 percent of the jobs lost during the pandemic-induced recession have been recovered.
• The total number of Californians in the labor force rose by 32,000 persons, the state’s seventh labor force increase in the past eight months.

Story Date: September 25, 2022