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California Gained 28,300 Nonfarm Payroll Jobs in March 2024

Published:

NR No. 24-15
Contact: Loree Levy/Aubrey Henry
916-654-9029
mediainquiries@edd.ca.gov

Unemployment Rate Holds Steady at 5.3 Percent

IMPORTANT NOTE: The employment data for the month of March 2024 is taken from the survey week including Mar. 12. Data for April is scheduled for release on May 17, 2024.

SACRAMENTO – California’s employers added 28,300 nonfarm payroll jobs1 in March 2024 and the unemployment rate held steady at 5.3 percent2, according to data released today by the Employment Development Department (EDD) from two surveys. Despite the mostly weather-related job loss of 6,600 in February (revised down by 3,200), March continued a job growth trend over the last eight months that totals 205,200 jobs – a monthly average increase of 25,700 jobs.

The California unemployment rate was 5.3 percent in March 2024, which is the same as the previous month.
California payroll jobs totaled 17,996,200 in Mar. 2024, up 28,300 from Feb. and up 217,700 from Mar. of last year.

California's Labor Market, by the Numbers...

  • The State’s job market expansion is now 47 months long. Since April 2020, California has gained 3,062,700 jobs, or about 65,200 per month on average.
  • Seven of California's 11 industry sectors gained jobs in March with Private Education & Health Services (+13,600) posting the largest month-over gain for the third month in a row. This was due in part to payroll additions in Social Assistance, which saw noticeable growth with in-home support service workers.
  • Construction bounced back after a weather-related decrease last month with a gain of 4,600 jobs. The industry is up 33,900 jobs over the year.
  • Manufacturing (-5,300) experienced the largest month-over job reduction with losses in sectors including Machinery Manufacturing and Food Manufacturing.
  • California’s latest unemployment rate is in line with the 5% average rate over five years leading into the pandemic – during one of the longest economic expansions in state history.

1. The unemployment rate comes from a separate federal survey of 5,100 California households.

2. The nonfarm payroll job numbers come from a federal survey of 80,000 California businesses.

Data Trends about Jobs in the Economy

Total Nonfarm Payroll Jobs

Total Nonfarm Payroll Jobs (Comes from a monthly survey of approximately 80,000 California businesses that estimates jobs in the economy – seasonally adjusted)

  • Month-over – Total nonfarm jobs in California’s 11 major industries amounted to 17,996,200 in March – a net gain of 28,300 from February. This followed a downward revised (-3,200) month-over loss of 6,600 jobs in February.
  • Year-over – Total nonfarm jobs increased by 217,700 (a 1.2 percent increase) from March 2023 to March 2024 compared to the U.S. annual gain of 2,927,000 jobs (a 1.9 percent increase).

 

Major Industries Month-over Change (February 2024–March 2024) Year-over Change (March  2023–March 2024) Total Payroll Jobs as of March 2024

Private Education and Health Services

 +13,600 +181,700 3,226,400

Government

 +6,400 +64,900 2,651,900

Professional and Business Services

 +5,100 -17,100 2,781,000

Construction

 +4,600 +33,900 929,800

Other Services

 +2,400 +17,800 599,800

Trade, Transp., Utilities

 +2,000 -12,000 3,098,800

Leisure and Hospitality

 +600 +33,400 2,031,200

Financial Activities 

 -100 -13,800 804,800

Mining and Logging

 -300 +500 19,800

Information

 -700 -53,600 531,300

Manufacturing

 -5,300 -18,000 1,321,400

Total de empleos agrícolas – Aunque el número de empleos en la industria agrícola disminuyó 2,000 desde febrero para alcanzar un total de 423,000 empleos en marzo, esta industria cuenta con 31,300 empleos de campo más en marzo de 2024 que en marzo del año pasado.

Tendencias de los datos sobre trabajadores en la economía

El empleo y desempleo en California (basado en una encuesta federal de 5,100 hogares de California, la cual se enfoca en trabajadores en la economía)      

  • Empleados – El número de californianos con empleo en marzo fue de 18,313,500, una disminución de 8,100 personas del total de 18,321,600 en febrero, y 104,100 menos que el total de empleos en marzo de 2023.
  • Desempleados – El número de californianos sin empleo en marzo fue de 1,032,400, un aumento de 4,000 en todo el mes, y 170,500 más comparado con marzo de 2023.
This table summarizes data from the prior text and adds that the civilian labor force (which is the labor force by place of residence, including workers involved in trading disputes) totaling 19,345,900 in Mar. 2023, down 4,100 from Feb., but up 66,400 from Mar. of last year.
California Labor Force Month-over Change (February 2024–March 2024) Year-over Change (March 2023–March 2024)
* Civilian Labor Force (19,345,900) -4,100 +66,400
Total Civilian Employment (18,313,500) -8,100 -104,100
Unemployment (1,032,400) +4,000 +170,500

* Labor force by place of residence, including workers involved in trade disputes.

Solicitudes del Seguro de Desempleo (sin ajustes por temporada)

Los siguientes datos provienen de una semana muestra que incluye el 19 de cada mes:
Se tramitaron un total de 41,000 solicitudes iniciales para desempleo durante la semana muestra de marzo de 2024, una disminución en todo el mes de 260 solicitudes desde febrero y una disminución en todo el año de 5,792 desde marzo de 2023. En datos relacionados que figuran en la tasa de desempleo del estado, 446,130 personas certificaron para los beneficios del Seguro de Desempleo (UI) durante la semana muestra de marzo de 2024. Esto en comparación con 425,760 personas que certificaron en febrero y 414,119 personas en marzo de 2023

In Mar. 2024, there were 425,760 people receiving unemployment insurance benefits, up 20,370 from Feb. and up 21,011 from Mar. of last year. Additionally, there were 41,000 new unemployment insurance claims in Mar. 2023, down 260 from Feb. and down 5,792 from Mar. of last year.

California Unemployment Insurance Claims Month-over Change (February 2024–March 2024) Year-over Change (March 2023–March 2024)
UI Recipients (446,130) +20,370 +32,011
New UI Claims (41,000) -260 -5,792
MONTHLY LABOR FORCE DATA FOR COUNTIES
March 2024 (Preliminary); 2023 Benchmark
NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED
COUNTY LABOR FORCE EMPLOYMENT UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
STATE TOTAL 19,409,300 18,372,600 1,036,700 5.3%
ALAMEDA 828,200 789,800 38,400 4.6%
ALPINE 640 600 40 6.0%
AMADOR 14,730 13,900 830 5.6%
BUTTE 93,700 87,700 6,000 6.4%
CALAVERAS 22,310 21,160 1,150 5.2%
COLUSA 11,030 8,920 2,120 19.2%
CONTRA COSTA 553,200 527,200 26,000 4.7%
DEL NORTE 9,320 8,740 590 6.3%
EL DORADO 95,700 91,200 4,500 4.7%
FRESNO 467,000 424,300 42,600 9.1%
GLENN 12,770 11,800 970 7.6%
HUMBOLDT 61,300 58,000 3,300 5.4%
IMPERIAL 72,900 61,200 11,800 16.1%
INYO 8,540 8,180 370 4.3%
KERN 391,700 352,000 39,700 10.1%
KINGS 59,700 53,700 6,000 10.0%
LAKE 29,170 27,240 1,930 6.6%
LASSEN 8,610 8,000 610 7.1%
LOS ANGELES 5,029,800 4,767,300 262,500 5.2%
MADERA 66,300 60,400 5,900 8.9%
MARIN 133,300 128,400 4,900 3.7%
MARIPOSA 7,420 6,940 470 6.4%
MENDOCINO 38,150 35,970 2,180 5.7%
MERCED 121,700 107,700 14,100 11.5%
MODOC 3,220 2,940 290 8.9%
MONO 9,370 8,990 380 4.0%
MONTEREY 215,300 192,800 22,500 10.5%
NAPA 72,600 69,600 3,000 4.2%
NEVADA 49,730 47,470 2,260 4.5%
ORANGE 1,599,900 1,537,100 62,800 3.9%
PLACER 198,100 189,600 8,500 4.3%
PLUMAS 7,300 6,450 850 11.6%
RIVERSIDE 1,164,300 1,104,200 60,100 5.2%
SACRAMENTO 742,500 706,000 36,500 4.9%
SAN BENITO 32,600 30,200 2,500 7.5%
SAN BERNARDINO 1,018,800 967,100 51,700 5.1%
SAN DIEGO 1,603,100 1,532,300 70,800 4.4%
SAN FRANCISCO 559,400 538,800 20,600 3.7%
SAN JOAQUIN 350,100 325,100 25,000 7.1%
SAN LUIS OBISPO 137,200 131,800 5,400 4.0%
SAN MATEO 442,900 427,600 15,300 3.5%
SANTA BARBARA 218,900 207,900 11,100 5.1%
SANTA CLARA 1,037,600 995,400 42,200 4.1%
SANTA CRUZ 133,800 123,800 10,000 7.4%
SHASTA 75,100 70,400 4,700 6.3%
SIERRA 1,330 1,230 100 7.5%
SISKIYOU 16,660 15,280 1,380 8.3%
SOLANO 205,300 194,400 10,900 5.3%
SONOMA 251,200 240,800 10,400 4.2%
STANISLAUS 250,300 231,700 18,600 7.4%
SUTTER 47,800 43,100 4,700 9.8%
TEHAMA 26,450 24,630 1,820 6.9%
TRINITY 4,620 4,290 330 7.1%
TULARE 213,700 188,100 25,500 12.0%
TUOLUMNE 20,360 19,200 1,170 5.7%
VENTURA 417,900 398,600 19,300 4.6%
YOLO 111,800 105,300 6,500 5.8%
YUBA 32,900 30,200 2,700 8.1%