In a sign that the state's struggling labor market may be strengthening, 14,200 positions were added by employers in April, the second straight month of growth. With more people looking for work, the state unemployment rate remained steady at 12.6%
By Alana Semuels, Los Angeles Times
Employers added 14,200 jobs to payrolls in April, contributing to signs that the state's sluggish labor market is finally coming back to life.
California's unemployment rate remained unchanged from March, at 12.6%, although that's because more workers – about 68,000 -- rejoined the labor force to look for work in April.
The Employment Development Department said Friday that the state has added jobs for four straight months, although February's job figures were revised from a 20,400 job loss to a 2,800 job gain.
"We have a long way to go for employment to recover from this great recession," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement released Friday.
The state recorded big gains in the government and leisure and hospitality sectors, which added 14,000 and 9,300 jobs, respectively. Professional and business services also added jobs in April. Link
