Unemployment in California in 2011: Unemployment Extension Org

In California, the economy is improving but the pay is getting worse. Employers are hiring again, but many salaries have stagnated or fallen in recent years and have not kept up with the higher costs of fuel and food.

California, CA (prHWY.com) June 1, 2011 - In California, the economy is improving but the pay is getting worse. Employers are hiring again, but many salaries have stagnated or fallen in recent years and have not kept up with the higher costs of fuel and food.

The private-sector employees saw an average 2% increase in pay from April 2010 to April 2011 -- but those gains are not adjusted for the cost of goods and services, which rose 3% during the period.

California added 8,900 jobs in April and has gained nearly 100,000 jobs in the first four months of the year, according to numbers released on May 27 by the state Employment Development Department.

California unemployment figures hit a high of 12% in September 2009 and stayed there until April when it dipped below 12%.

Most counties in California are better off than they were a year ago. Nevertheless, of the 58 counties, 22 still have unemployment rates topping 15%. California's unemployment rate remains the second highest in the country after Nevada.

The unemployment rate is usually worse than what is officially stated, because people who have been unemployed for a long time and are no longer eligible for benefits are often not counted in the unemployment numbers.

In California, some 5,000 unemployed people use up their extended benefits each week. At this rate, by the year's end, 274,185 Californians will have exhausted their 99 weeks of benefits.

People are still being hired but at a slower pace. Now it takes more time to find a job than it was a few years ago. For example, in the past, it take a day to get hired for a low-level job, but now it takes as long as 3 weeks.

Many growing companies are spending money on software and equipment to make themselves more efficient, rather than hiring additional employees.

The wages are much lower for the same exact jobs than they would have been a few years ago.

The cost of living has gone up, and wages have gone down. These days, many people are taking jobs they wouldn't have considered a few years ago. Any job is better than no job.

About 1.5 million people in California are working part time or temporary while seeking for a full-time job. For them, the hours aren't enough to make ends meet.

Despite the woes, the statistics are encouraging and positive.

"I think we're on the way to recovery," said Michael Bernick, a former head of the state Employment Development Department. "But it won't be anything dramatic. We'll continue to see up and downs."

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Tag Words: unemployment extension

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