Politics & Government

Unemployment Rate Down in County, State and Country

Jobless claims for February were down in Los Angeles County. However, there are Westside residents who have been without work for nearly two years.

The unemployment rate in Los Angeles County decreased a fraction of a percentage point in February to 10.3 percent and more than half a million people were out of work, according to numbers released Friday by the state Employment Development Department.

February saw a 0.6 percent drop from the previous month and a 1.3 percent decrease from 11.6 percent last year.

Both the state and national jobless rates decreased by 0.2 percent in February, according to EDD estimates.

Find out what's happening in Pacific Palisadeswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

California saw its unemployment rate drop to 9.6 percent and claims across the country were down to 7.7 percent.

Total wages earned countywide were estimated at just over $3.9 million, up from $3.82 million February 2012.

Find out what's happening in Pacific Palisadeswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Brentwood Patch reader Pam Richardson told Patch Monday she's been out of work for more than two years, and she's a disabled veteran and a certified security officer.

She said her last job was at Michael's Craft Store in Santa Monica, and was laid off when told the business was relocating to the Hawthorne area. Richardson said she worked at Santa Monica College from 2007 to 2011, and was laid off there due to budget cuts.

"My idea of a dream job is to work in the recreation parks system, or the YMCA, Boys and Girls Club for afterschool as well as camp programs," she said. "I have been advised I am too old."

Richard added she can't see how anyone is happy about the unemployment readings, and said most of the hired positions are in the inland Los Angeles area.

The county’s population decreased by more than 600,000 in 2011, according to the California Department of Finance, and increased by more than 100,000 to almost 10 million people in 2012, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

Sectors seeing the fastest growth in the county include biomedical, home health and construction.

The EDD projects that during the period between 2010-2020, biomedical engineering will see a 60 percent jump in its workforce; home health aides a 49.4 percent increase; brick masons and tile setters a 50 percent increase; carpenters a 48.1 percent increase.

Anesthesiologists in Los Angeles County were paid the highest hourly rate on average at $126 during the first quarter of 2012, followed by obstetricians and gynecologists at $116; surgeons at $115; chief executives at $104 and orthodontists at $100.


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