Riverside County Unemployment Rate Passes 15 Percent

Seasonal factors pushed the unemployment rate for July in Riverside County above 15 percent for the first time in nearly a year, state officials reported today.

The county’s non-seasonally-adjusted jobless rate in July, based on preliminary estimates, was 15.1 percent, compared to 14.4 percent in June, according to the California Economic Development Department.

The July figure was three-tenths of a percentage point lower than a year ago.

The last time the county’s unemployment rate was at 15 percent was in September 2010.

According to the EDD, 136,200 people were unemployed countywide last month,. compared to 129,400 in June.

The combined unemployment rate for Riverside and San Bernardino counties in July was 14.7 percent, up from 14.3 percent the prior month.

Bi-county data indicated public sector payrolls sank dramatically, with a loss of 12,100 positions. However, all of the decline was in education as grade-school teachers and other school workers dropped out of the workforce for summer recess.

The educational and health services sector, including colleges and technical schools, shed 1,300 positions, followed closely by the leisure and hospitality industry, which shrank by 1,200 jobs.

The farm sector posted a loss of 6,000 jobs, marking the end of months of seasonal hiring, while the construction and manufacturing sectors continued to expand, adding 3,700 jobs.

The total size of the civilian labor force in Riverside and San Bernardino counties last month was 1,748,200, compared to 1,742,700 in June.

The state’s non-seasonally-adjusted jobless rate was 12.4 percent, and the national rate was 9.3 percent.