January 25, 2022
Summary
California added 50,700 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate fell by 0.5 percentage point to 6.5 percent in December, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data released at 10:00am on January 25, 2022.
Over the past twelve months, California added 954,400 payroll jobs and the unemployment rate fell by 2.8 percentage points from 9.3 percent.
In December, California’s private sector added 46,600 net private payroll jobs and over the past twelve months it added 903,600 private payroll jobs in the establishment survey.
In the household survey, the number of unemployed fell by 86,771 on net in December, and over the past year employment rose by 879,814.
California’s labor force participation rate rose to 61.3 percent in December from 61.2 percent. Since last year, the labor force participation rate rose by 1.1 percentage points.
The national unemployment rate fell by 0.3 percentage point in December to 3.9 percent. State employment and unemployment data for January is scheduled for release March 14, 2022. The national employment situation report for January will be released February 04, 2022.
California Payroll Employment
California added 50,700 net payroll jobs, or 0.3 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during December. In the prior month, California added 52,200 jobs. Over the past twelve months, California added 954,400 payroll jobs, or 6 percent. California nonfarm payroll employment had increased in 11 of the past 12 months.
Nationally, nonfarm payrolls rose by 199,000 in December, or rose by 0.1 percent. Over the 12-month period ending with December, nonfarm payrolls rose by 6,448,000 jobs, or 4.5 percent. California is tied for 8th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.
During December, California’s private-sector added 46,600 jobs, or approximately 0.3 percent. The private-sector in California added 48,500 jobs in the prior month. Over the past twelve months, private-sector payrolls in California added 903,600, or 6.7 percent. California private-sector payroll employment has increased in 11 of the past 12 months.
Nationally, private-sector payroll jobs rose by 211,000 jobs in December, or 0.2 percent. Over the past 12 months, the national payroll rose by 5,996,000 jobs in the private sector, or 5 percent. California ranks 6th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia for a percentage gain in private-sector payroll employment over the past 12 months.
The best performing sectors on a seasonally adjusted basis during December were Leisure and Hospitality (15,000) and Professional and Business Services (12,000). The poorest performing sectors during the month were Financial Activities (1,100) and Mining and Logging (0).
The best performing sectors during the last twelve months were Leisure and Hospitality (416,200) and Professional and Business Services (164,800). The poorest performing sectors during the last twelve months were Financial Activities (4,500) and Mining and Logging (300).
California Labor Force Statistics
Labor Force Participation
The labor force participation rate in California rose to 61.3 percent in December from 61.2 percent in the prior month. At a labor force participation rate of 61.3 percent, California is tied for 30th in the nation. The labor force participation rate in California rose by 1.1 percentage points from a year earlier. The labor force participation rate is the percentage of the civilian noninstitutionalized population age 16 and older who are employed or actively looking for work.
The 10-year high for the labor force participation rate in California was 63.4 percent in December 2011. The series high for the labor force participation rate in California occurred in December 1989 when the labor force participation rate hit 68 percent. The 10-year low for the labor force participation rate was 59.2 percent , last occurring in September 2020. This also represents the series low for the labor force participation rate in California.
The national labor force participation rate remained steady at 61.9 percent in December. That rate rose by 0.4 percentage point from a year earlier. The all-time high for the national labor force participation rate was 67.3 percent in April 2000. The 10-year high for the national labor force participation rate was 63.8 percent in October 2012. The recent 10-year low occurred in April 2020 at a level of 60.2 percent. The series low for the national labor force participation rate was 58.1 percent in December 1954.
Employment-to-Population Ratio
The employment-to-population ratio, or the percentage of the California civilian noninstitutionalized population 16 years and older counted as employed, in December rose to 57.3 from 56.9 percent in the prior month. At 57.3 percent, California is tied for 36th among state employment-to-population ratios in the nation. The employment-to-population ratio in California rose by 2.8 percentage points from a year earlier.
The 10-year high for the employment-to-population ratio in California was 59.9 percent last occurring in January 2020. The series high for the employment-to-population ratio in California last occurred in December 1989 when the employment-to-population ratio hit 64.4 percent. The 10-year low for the employment-to-population ratio was 50 percent in May 2020. This also represents the series low for the employment-to-population ratio in California.
The national employment-to-population ratio rose by 0.2 percentage point over the month to 59.5 percent in December. That rate rose by 2.1 percentage points from a year earlier. The all-time high for the national employment-to-population rato was 64.7 percent in April 2000. The 10-year high for the national employment-to-population ratio was 61.2 percent in February 2020. The recent 10-year low occurred in April 2020 at a level of 51.3 percent. The series low for the employment-to-population ratio was 51.3 percent in April 2020.