California's unemployment rate has fallen to a record low of 4.3 percent - that's the lowest in any month since February 2001. In December alone, California added 52,700 jobs, which was more than one-third of the 148,000 jobs created nationally in December.
California's Employment Department Spokesperson Patti Roberts says the last three months of falling unemployment in the Golden State has been remarkable."
"That is an extraordinary fall of .8 percent over the last three months," Roberts said.
Imperial County had the highest unemployment rate in California, coming in at just under 18 percent. San Mateo county boasted the lowest unemployment rate at just over 2 percent.
Roberts says California's economy is in an economic expansion that is showing no sign of slowing down. "The year over job gains totaled 342,500 jobs, which again shows no slowdown in growth."
California was hit hard by the 2007-2009 recession, having one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. But since then, strong job growth starting in 2011, coupled with lower population growth has meant a dramatic fall in the unemployment numbers. In the last three months of 2017 alone, California saw its largest unemployment decrease on record.
"So as a result there are fewer unemployed Californians in December 2017 than in any month since February 2001."
The national unemployment rate is slightly lower than California's overall, at 4.1 percent.
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