California's Employment Development Department and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released California's September 2018 state jobs report on October 19, 2018. Statewide nonfarm employment grew by an estimated 13,200 in September. While this is lower than the current estimates for July and August, these estimates have significant uncertainty. Consequently, it would be premature to conclude that job growth has slowed. The state's official unemployment rate dropped to 4.1 percent, the lowest recorded rate since the series was first established in 1976. The figure below summarizes nonfarm employment by sector based on the monthly survey of employers. Overall employment in the state has grown 2.0 percent over the past 12 months compared to 1.7 percent for the nation.
