The County's unemployment rate (not adjusted for seasonality) dropped from 14.9% in March to 14.1% in April. The labor force declined by 6,400 in April, following an unusually strong growth of 9,700 in March. (March has traditionally been a month when labor force increases temporarily, thanks to spring breaks, farming, and the tax season, but this year's increase was far above the normal rate.) The number of employed residents rose by 1,600 in April, after another 5,500 gain in March. The number of unemployed residents declined by 8,000 in April as a result of the drastic decline in labor force. Since the decline in the unemployment rate is in large part due to the decline in labor force, this is not really a sign of economic recovery.
Link to original data: http://www.calmis.ca.gov/file/indhist/sanbrhws.xls
Read the whole newsletter at http://sbcounty.info/eu_archive/20100608.pdf
