LA County’s unemployment rate drops to 5.9 percent in November

Etowah County’s unemployment rate rose from 5.7 percent in October to 5.8 percent last month, and Alabama’s seasonally adjusted rate increased from 5.9 to 6.0 percent.

The U.S. unemployment rate for November was 5 percent, unchanged from October and down from 5.8 percent in November 2014.

Elsewhere in Northeast Alabama, St. Clair County’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.8 percent, but other counties (Blount at 4.9, Calhoun at 6.6, Cherokee at 5.0 and Marshall at 5.3) or rose slightly (DeKalb to 5.7).

BIG PICTURE: Unemployment claims have remained near historic lows for the past nine months.

While complementary, the two surveys – one that measures jobs by worksite and the other that measures persons employed by household – can show conflicting results. As we reported last month, that tally surpasses the total for all of 2014, and 2014 was the state’s strongest year for job growth since 2000. It estimates the number of Californians holding jobs in November was 17,910,000, an increase of 11,000 from October, and up 365,000 from the employment total in November of past year.

The number of jobs in the area skyrocketed on a year-over-year basis, up 4,515 in November compared with a year ago. In contrast, nonfarm employment grew by 1,100 jobs.

The gains outweighed a huge loss in the trade, transportation, and utilities sectors, where employment declined by a 5,700 jobs, and employment in educational and health services, which fell by 900.

Florida reported the largest job gain in November, with 35,200. Information posted the largest decrease over the month, down 9,300 jobs.

The unemployment rate in Southwest Florida dropped another half percentage point to 4.6 percent as holiday hiring absorbed more workers seeking a job. Private industries with the most job growth year over year were education and health services, up by 5,444; trade, transportation and utilities, up by 3,544; and financial activities, up by 3,119. The construction and professional and business services sectors each lost 300 jobs.

A separate survey showed payrolls flat in November, but more than 11,000 lower than in November 2014, a warning that Louisiana’s economy may be shrinking.

Employment decreased last month in six major industry sectors and increased in four. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits held at 1.7 percent. This compares with 334,244 in October and 392,610 in November of previous year.