Politics & Government

Murrieta's Unemployment Rate Nudges Up

The preliminary jobless rate for Murrieta during January was 7.6 percent, up from 7.3 percent in December 2012.

A rise in Murrieta's unemployment rate was not unlike increases experienced countywide during January.

Riverside County's unemployment rate jumped nearly a half-percentage point to start off 2013 with job losses in most every sector of the regional economy.

The county's non-seasonally adjusted jobless rate in January, based on preliminary estimates, was 11.5 percent, compared with 11.1 percent in December, according to the California Employment Development Department.

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The rate was still more than a percentage point below the level of January 2012, when unemployment stood at 12.8 percent.

Figures for February are expected to be released in the next three weeks. The information has been delayed due to annual revisions in the data-collection process.

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The preliminary jobless rate for Murrieta in January was 7.6 percent, up from 7.3 percent in December. From a labor force of 28,600, there were 2,100 people out of work.

Countywide, the civilian labor force numbered 950,000 people, with 109,400 out of work, according to figures.

The city of Cabazon had the highest unemployment rate countywide, at 28.5 percent, followed by Mecca at 22.9 percent and Homeland at 22.5 percent, according to the EDD.

Among cities neighboring Murrieta, Temecula had an unemployment rate of 7.8 percent in January, while Menifee's was 12.3 percent, Lake Elsinore's was 11.2 percent and Wildomar's was 10.1 percent.

The combined unemployment rate for Riverside and San Bernardino counties in January also was 11.5 percent, up from 11 percent the prior month.

Bi-county data indicated payrolls contracted most significantly in trade, transportation and utilities, which lost 10,900 jobs, reflecting the post-Christmas season drop in demand for labor at retail outlets.

The educational and health services sector shed 3,200 positions, while the construction sector shrank by 2,400 jobs, according to the EDD.

Job losses totaling 3,800 were recorded in the public, financial, information technology, manufacturing, farm and other sectors, data showed.

Only the leisure and hospitality industry added jobs—1,400.

The state's non-seasonally adjusted jobless rate in January was 10.4 percent.

Federal unemployment numbers were 7.7 percent in February, down from 7.9 percent in January. Nationally, employment increased in professional and business services, construction and health care, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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


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