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View Full Version : California unemployment rate hits 11.5% - highest in post-World War II era


Regis Philbin
Jun 19th, 2009, 09:21 PM
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-california-jobless20-2009jun20,0,3863292.story

California unemployment rises to 11.5% in May

By Alana Semuels reporting from Los Angeles Marc Lifsher

11:52 AM PDT, June 19, 2009

Reporting from Sacramento -- California's unemployment rate shot up to its highest level in the post-World War II era.

The state lost 68,900 jobs during the month of May, pushing the unemployment rate to 11.5%, the California Economic Development Department said this morning.

U.S. unemployment rate hits 9.4% in May, highest since 1983

"It was really a lousy month," said Stephen Levy, chief economist and director of the Center for the Continuing Study of the California Economy in Palo Alto. National indicators are turning up, he said, but California is lagging. "There was good economic news this week but it wasn't in today's jobs report," he said.

The national unemployment rate for May was 9.4%. Only four states have higher unemployment rates than California: Michigan at 14.1%, Oregon at 12.4% and Rhode Island and South Carolina, tied at 12.1%.

California's unemployment rate in May 2008 was 6.8%. The rate was 11.1% in April this year.