California posted another month of anemic job growth in April, keeping the state’s unemployment rate the highest in the country, 5.3%, the government reported Friday. Statewide, employers added a net of just 5,200 jobs in April, down from 18,200 in March, according to California’s Employment Development Department. Nationwide, employers added 175,000 jobs in April and 315,000 in March. The U.S. unemployment rate in April was 3.9%.
Major sectors of California’s economy — including manufacturing, information and professional and business services — showed job losses last month, and job opportunities aren’t as plentiful as before, even as the number of unemployed workers in the state has risen by 164,000 over the last 12 months. In California, there were 140 unemployed workers for every 100 job openings in March, according to federal statistics released Friday. Less than two years ago, there were about two openings for every jobless person.
