Start of school year fuels California job growth in August

By ADAM BEAM
Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s unemployment rate declined slightly in August as the state added 104,300 new jobs for the month. New data from the Califonria Employment Development Department shows that nearly 45% of all job gains in August came from government jobs. The agency said that’s likely because public schools have started again after the summer break. California’s unemployment rate is now 7.5% and the second highest in the nation behind Nevada. Gov. Gavin Newsom says the figures show promising progress but said that the state must do more to regain the jobs that were lost amid the pandemic. California lost more than 2.7 million jobs in March and April of 2020.