Unemployment Dips in State, Holds Steady in Scotts Valley

Written by Dan Abendschein and Jennifer Squires

Seasonally-adjusted unemployment dipped in California in May from 8.6 percent to 8.5 percent, according to figures released Friday by the California Employment Development Department.

However many local cities and counties saw an increase in unemployment figures as those local figures are not seasonally adjusted to account for fluctuations in normal seasonal labor throughout the year. While non-seasonally adjusted unemployment has been dipping throughout the state for several months, in June the figure jumped from 8.1 percent to 8.8 percent.

Dan Stephens, a spokesman for the state's Employment Development Department, said that the disparity in the figures could possibly be the result of teachers and education related jobs that end in June bringing up the non-seasonally adjusted rates.

"In June, with the end of the school year and ramp up of summer travel and activities, there are typically large numbers of people who enter the labor market looking for seasonal work and not all of them find it. As a result, unemployment (including the rate) typically rises in June, and does so every year. " Stephens wrote in an email.

Santa Cruz County as a whole saw no change in the unemployment rate, which remained at May's mark of 7.9 percent for June. The figures are not seasonally adjusted, but the jobless rate in Scotts Valley also remained stagnant at 3.8 percent in June.

The seasonal adjustment accounts for seasonal shifts in labor such as increased construction and agricultural work in spring and summer—only non-seasonally adjusted figures are available for individual cities.

Data from the state indicates that work categories with significant job losses from May to June were construction, information, financial activities, professional and business services and other services.

How to Use the Map

You can see how every city in the state fared in May's report, by clicking on it in the above map.  The blue cities are within 10 percent of the state average, the light green are have unemployment rates at least 50 percent lower than state average, and darker green cities are between.

Conversely, the bright red cities have unemployment rates at least 50 percent higher than state average and the lighter red cities are between.