California Unemployment Rate Drops To 9 Percent
SACRAMENTO (CBS/AP) - California was among three states in April that experienced the sharpest drops in unemployment, with its rate falling to 9 percent.
New York and South Carolina also saw their jobless rates fall by 0.4 percentage points since March.
The state's Employment Development Department reported Friday that California's jobless rate is at its lowest point since November 2008, nearly a year after the recession began.
California has added more than 273,000 jobs since the same period a year ago, including a net gain of 10,400 nonfarm jobs in April. The construction industry posted the largest gains last month, while professional and business services and government reported job losses.
Nearly 1.7 million Californians remain unemployed, down 300,000 from April 2012. The state's figure remains above the national unemployment rate of 7.5 percent.
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