Are Things Getting Worse? Solano Jobless Rate Rose In March

By Bay City News Service and David Ryan

Bay Area jobless numbers rose slightly in March, following a statewide trend that saw a small uptick in California's unemployment rate in the past month, according to a report released today by the state's Employment Development Department.

The state's unemployment rate in March was 11.0 percent, up from 10.9 percent in February. However, that number was down from 11.9 percent a year ago.

In the Bay Area, Marin County, which has the lowest jobless rate in the state,
jumped from 6.6 percent to 7.0 percent over the past month, according to the
report.

Solano County, which has the highest rate in the Bay Area, also saw a jump from 10.9 percent in February to 11.1 percent in March.

According to Linda Wong, an economist with the State EDD:

The unemployment rate in Solano County was 11.1 percent in March 2012, up from a revised 10.9 percent in February 2012, but below the year-ago estimate of 12.1 percent...

Despite California's rising jobless numbers, the national unemployment rate went the opposite way in March, decreasing to 8.2 percent from 8.3 percent the month before.

The state's unemployment rate is derived from a federal survey of 5,500 households around California.