Community Corner

Murrieta Unemployment Rate Shrinks to Lowest Since August 2008

Murrieta's unemployment rate continued to shrink last month, dipping to its lowest level in nearly five years, state officials reported Friday.

The city's non-seasonally-adjusted jobless rate in April, based on preliminary estimates, was 6.3 percent, compared to 6.9 percent in March, according to the California Employment Development Department.

The rate was more than a percentage point below the level of April 2012, when unemployment stood at 7.6 percent.

August 2008 was the last time Murrieta had a 6.3-percent unemployment rate.

Unemployment in Murrieta peaked in August 2010 when it was 10.2 percent.

The job outlook continues to improve countywide. In cities neighboring Murrieta, Temecula had a preliminary jobless rate of 6.5 percent in April. Wildomar's rate was 8.4 percent, Lake Elsinore's was 9.3 percent, and Menifee's was 10.2 percent, all of which were lower than March rates.

And for the first time in nearly 4 1/2 years, Riverside County's unemployment rate was below 10 percent. Preliminary data indicates 9.6 percent of people were out of work last month.

The last time Riverside County's unemployment rate was below 10 percent occurred in November 2008, when it was 9.9 percent, according to EDD data.

The county's non-seasonally-adjusted jobless rate in April, based on preliminary estimates, was 9.6 percent, compared to 10.5 percent in March, according to the California Employment Development Department.

The rate was two percentage points below the level of April 2012, when unemployment stood at 11.6 percent.

The last time Riverside County's unemployment rate was below 10 percent occurred in November 2008, when it was 9.9 percent, according to EDD data.

The deepening recession drove the figure to as high as 15.2 percent in August 2010, where it peaked and afterward began a languid descent.

"Last month's decline is encouraging news for the residents of our county," Riverside County Foreign Trade Commissioner Tom Freeman told City News Service. "But we won't rest until we cut that number in half!''

According to EDD figures, the civilian labor force last month numbered 941,700 people, with 90,200 out of work.

The unincorporated community of Cabazon had the highest unemployment rate countywide, at 24.5 percent, followed by Mecca at 19.5 percent and Homeland at 19.1 percent, according to the EDD.

The combined unemployment rate for Riverside and San Bernardino counties in April was also 9.6 percent, down from 10.5 percent the prior month.

Bi-county data indicated payrolls expanded in all but five sectors of the regional economy. The largest increase was in professional and business services, where around 2,900 positions were added. Farming, trade, transportation and utilities, financial services and uncategorized industries altogether added another 1,700 jobs.

Payrolls shrank in the public sector, leisure and hospitality, educational and health services, construction and manufacturing, which shed a total 3,100 jobs last month, with the hospitality sector leading the way down, accounting for 45 percent of the loss.

The state's non-seasonally-adjusted jobless rate in April was 8.5 percent, according to the EDD.

The nation experienced a 7.5 percent unemployment rate last month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported, down from 7.9 percent in March.

—City News Service and Maggie Avants contributed to this report.



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