California's Employment Development Department and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released California's August 2019 state jobs report Friday. Statewide nonfarm employment grew by an estimated 34,500 in July, above the average pace of the past 12 months. The official unemployment rate remained at 4.1 percent, the modern series low, and has hovered between 4.1 and 4.3 percent for 19 months now.
The figure below summarizes nonfarm employment by sector based on the monthly survey of employers. Nearly half of the estimated net growth in August came from local government and leisure/hospitality, both of which reported job losses in July. Overall employment in the state has grown 1.8 percent over the previous 12 months, somewhat ahead of the national pace of 1.4 percent.
