California's Employment Development Department and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released California's April 2019 state jobs report today. Statewide nonfarm employment grew by an estimated 46,000 in April, well above the average pace of the past 12 months. So far, job growth has been faster in 2019 than in 2018. The official unemployment rate remained at 4.3 percent, which is still quite low by historical standards.
The figure below summarizes nonfarm employment by sector based on the monthly survey of employers. The increases in leisure/hospitality (primary restaurants) and health/social services were unusually large, although the health sector in particular typically grows faster than other sectors. Overall employment in the state has grown 1.6 percent over the previous 12 months, close to the nation’s 1.8 percent growth rate.
