NewsCalifornia News

Actions

California jobless rate 16.3% in May, down a bit from April

Virus Outbreak Unemployment
Posted
and last updated

California's unemployment rate in April was much higher than previously thought.

State officials announced last month the state's jobless rate in April was 15.5%. But Friday, the Employment Development Department said the rate actually was 16.4%.

It's a remarkable revision that represents the state's unprecedented job losses because of the coronavirus pandemic.

As a result, May's unemployment rate fell slightly to 16.3% as the state added 141,600 jobs last month.

San Luis Obispo County's unemployment rate was 12.7% in May, down from a revised 14% in April. The unemployment rate in May 2019 was 2.4%.

In Santa Barbara County, the unemployment rate was 12.9% in May, down from a revised 13.9% in April. The unemployment rate in May 2019 was 2.9%.

California's unemployment rate remains far higher than the 12.3% rate the state hit at the height of the Great Recession a decade ago. Overall, the state has lost more than 2 million jobs since the coronavirus struck.