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San Diego County’s unemployment rate was 3.7 percent last month, down slightly from November’s 3.9 percent but up from December 2005’s 3.6 percent, the state’s Employment Development Department reported today.
The county’s rate was below the (unadjusted) California rate of 4.6 percent and the national rate of 4.3 percent in December. The EDD data were not seasonally adjusted.
Construction jobs posted the biggest losses both last month and for the entire year, the report showed. Last month alone, the county lost 1,800 jobs in the sector, contributing to the 5,000 total construction jobs lost last year.
For 2006, those losses were tempered by the gains in professional and business services (4,700 jobs) and in leisure and hospitality (3,600 jobs).
The state’s unemployment rate, a seasonally adjusted 4.8 percent, logged a slight increase from November and was slightly below its year-ago rate. You can see more information on the state employment department’s website profile of San Diego County.