Calif. Jobless Rate Steady, Bay Area Adds Jobs

California's jobless rate stayed stuck at 9.8 percent in December, but Bay Area rates were much lower, according to a report from the Employment Development Department.

Statewide unemployment dipped below 10 percent in November for the first time since the beginning of the recession.

All the Bay Area counties had jobless rates under 9 percent, with Marin's 5.5-percent rate the lowest in the state.

Comparing December 2012 to December 2011, the department found that nonfarm jobs increased by 225,900 jobs (up 1.6 percent).

Crunching the department's county-by-county numbers, the Contra Costa times reported that the Bay Area added 91,400 jobs in seasonally adjusted numbers:

That was the best annual gain since 2000, when the nine-county region added 129,000 jobs at the apex of the Internet surge.

The South Bay added about 29,000 jobs during 2012, while the San Francisco-San Mateo-Marin region gained approximately 31,000 jobs and the East Bay added about 21,000.

The Bay Area job market increased its numbers by 2.9

Steven Levy of the Center for the Continuing Study of the California Economy told the Associated Press that the state has made important gains since a year ago as its economy continues to rebound.

"Looking at the past 12 months California has slightly outpaced the nation in job growth, which is expected to continue in 2013," he said. "While the state benefits from a surge in technology jobs, a rebound in tourism and rising construction levels, California's growth is still tied to the uncertainties in the national economy around fiscal challenges and the slower world economy growth."

Some sectors of the state economy are doing better than others, the department said in a news release:

Three categories (construction; information; and educational and health services)
added jobs over the month, gaining 16,800 jobs. Educational and health services
posted the largest increase over the month, adding 9,200 jobs.

Eight categories (mining and logging; manufacturing; trade, transportation and
utilities; financial activities; professional and business services; leisure and
hospitality; other services; and government) reported job declines over the
month, down 34,300 jobs. Trade, transportation and utilities posted the largest
decrease over the month, down 11,200 jobs.