Employment: Unemployment plunges to 11.9% as California adds more jobs

May 20, 2011

California - A total of 8,900 new jobs have been created last month in California as observers continue to keep track of employment rates all over the country.

This is in comparison to the much higher 12.4% unemployment rate last year when economic recovery is still much more fragile.

However, California figures are still dire in comparison to the general improvement of employment rates in the United States. The country is reported to have created 244,000 jobs last month, with California taking only less than a tenth of the employment share.

California needs to create 12,500 jobs a month to keep up with the growing labor force and the ongoing national recovery.

The state with the highest unemployment rate is Nevada, registering a 12.5% unemployment rate. Second in the rankings is California.

Observers say that the economy is still erratic in its growth, while consumer confidence is still vulnerable in the light of the recent Japan disaster.