California hiring slows in September; jobless rate at 7.5%

By ADAM BEAM
Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s historic rate of hiring slowed down in September as the state added 47,400 new jobs. California had averaged more than 100,000 new jobs monthly since February. New data released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows California is now tied with Nevada for the highest unemployment rate in the country, at 7.5%. California has added back about 63.5% of the more than 2.1 million jobs that the state lost at the start of the pandemic. There were some encouraging signs in the most recent report. Another 30,500 people started looking for work last month. The state’s labor force has been increasing steadily throughout the year.