Business & Tech

Unemployment Up Slightly in Murrieta

The preliminary jobless rate in Murrieta in January was 8.3 percent, according to a state report.

After declining for six consecutive months, the unemployment rate in Murrieta went up slightly in January to 8.3 percent, according to a state report released Friday.

This was an increase of one-tenth of a percentage point from 8.2 percent in December 2011, based on a non-seasonally-adjusted report released Friday by the California Economic Development Department.

Unemployment figures for February have not yet been released.

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Murrieta ended 2011 with an annual jobless rate of 9.0 percent, according to the figures. Countywide, however, the 2011 annual unemployment rate was 13.6 percent, EDD calculated.

The jobless rate in Riverside County remained stuck at 12.5 percent to begin the year as job losses dwarfed gains, state officials reported.

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The county's jobless rate in January, based on preliminary estimates, was the same as it was at the end of 2011, according to the California Economic Development Department.

The January countywide figure, however, was almost two percentage points below the year-ago level, when unemployment stood at 14.3 percent.

One year ago in Murrieta, 9.4 percent were unemployed, a year-over-year decline of just more than 1 percent.

Riverside County's civilian labor force numbered 944,200 people, with 118,100 unemployed, according to EDD figures.

The labor force in Murrieta numbered 28,300 in January, with 2,300 unemployed.

Among cities neighboring Murrieta, Temecula had a jobless rate of 8.5 percent in January and a 2011 annual rate of 9.3 percent.

Lake Elsinore had a preliminary unemployment rate of 12.1 percent in January and 13.2 percent for all of 2011. In Menifee in January, 13.2 percent were unemployed, and 14.5 percent was the city's 2011 annual jobless rate. Wildomar had 11 percent unemployed and an annual rate of 12 percent.

The city of Cabazon had the highest unemployment rate countywide, at 30.4 percent, followed by Mecca at 24.6 percent and Homeland at 24.1 percent, preliminary EDD data showed.

The combined unemployment rate for Riverside and San Bernardino counties in January was 12.4 percent, up from 12.2 percent the prior month.

Bi-county data indicated all but four sectors recorded job losses, with a total net loss of 13,600 positions. The bulk of the decline was in trade, transportation and utilities, which shed 9,300 jobs.

The only payroll expansion was in the professional and business services sector, including managerial, administrative  and research-oriented jobs. Around 1,200 positions were added, according to the EDD.

No losses were reported in manufacturing, mining and leisure and hospitality, while the farm sector shrank slightly.

The state's non-seasonally-adjusted jobless rate was 11.3 percent.

City News Service contributed to this report.


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