OH unemployment hits low

Humboldt County’s preliminary October unemployment rate is up slightly, but still remains below the California unemployment rate and lower than the year-over rate at this time last year, according to numbers released by the state Employment Development Department. The United States rate ticked downward to 4.8 percent from October 2014’s 5.5 percent. 9 percent found in Calistoga.

Very low jobless rates are becoming more common. That figure represents the combined unemployment rates of Duval, St. Johns, Nassau, Clay and Baker counties. All divisions except the Mountain had significant rate changes from a year earlier, all of which were declines. Denair had a rate of 4.8 percent, up from 4.3 percent recorded in September. The survey of 58,000 California businesses measures jobs in the economy.

North Dakota’s unemployment rate of 2.8 percent was the lowest in the nation, followed by Nebraska’s 2.9 percent. Florida, which like Texas has also pushed a business friendly climate in recent years, added 35,000 jobs in October, but it’s unemployment rate was higher than the national rate. The jobless rate slipped two-tenths of a point to 4.8 percent in Delta County while edging up a tenth to 3.4 percent in Garfield County and 4.6 percent in Rio Blanco County. Unadjusted for seasonal fluctuations, the state rate was 3.3 percent. That was the worst showing of any of the state’s labor markets and was in stark contrast to Fairfield County, which added 1,400 jobs. Government added 2,200 jobs. Private industries with the most job growth year over year were education and health services, up 5,655; financial activities, up 3,603; and other services, up 1,852.

The Regional and State Employment and Unemployment news release for November 2015 is scheduled to be released on Friday, December 18, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. (EST).