California’s jobless rate in March rose slightly from the month before, with more than an eighth of the state’s eligible workers reporting being jobless, according to figures released today by the state Employment Development Department.
The state’s unemployment rate was 12.6 percent in March, up from 12.5 percent in February, and far higher than the 10.6 percent rate in March 2009.
According to a survey of businesses, California has 4,200 more nonfarm payroll jobs than it did in February.
However, the federal survey of California households, from which the unemployment rate is derived, showed that the number of people without jobs in the state rose by 31,000 during the month of March, according to the department.
Only one industry division, educational and health services, has posted job gains over the past year, adding 26,400 jobs for a 1.5 percent increase.
Marin County had the lowest unemployment rate in the Bay Area at 8.8 percent, while Solano County had the highest at 13.0 percent, according to the department.
While the state unemployment rate rose in March, the national unemployment rate remained unchanged at 9.7 percent.
