The largest job losses were in hotels, restaurants and other leisure-and-hospitality positions. Additional sectors that saw downsizing were: construction, manufacturing and agriculture.
But with the holiday shopping season just around the corner, will retail hiring help lower the local jobless rate?
Justin Wehner is with the state Employment Development Department:
“It’s hard to tell at this point. I mean we lost 3,600 jobs from September to October and we usually only lose 1,800 jobs. So that’s a little bit more than usual. These numbers wouldn’t support the inference that there’s going to be a lot of hiring for the holiday season.”
October’s Sacramento area unemployment rate of 12.3% is up nearly half-a-percent from September. Compared to the same time last year…it’s up 4.5%.
Statewide, the jobless rate increased to 12.5% in October...up from 12.2% the previous month.