Calif unemployment rate dips slightly in May

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Employment Development Department said last month the rate dropped to 10.8 percent, down from 10.9 percent the previous month.

According to the E.D.D., California employers added more than 33,000 non-farm payroll jobs in May, the largest month-over-month increase nationwide. The largest job gain was in the leisure and hospitality sector, which added 13,000 jobs.

In the rest of the country, unemployment rates rose in 18 U.S. states in May, the most in nine months. Increasing unemployment in more than a third of U.S. states is the latest evidence of a weaker job market.

The Labor Department says unemployment rates fell in only 14 states. That's fewer than the previous month, when rates fell in 37 states. Rates were unchanged in 18 states.

Nationally, the rate rose to 8.2 percent in May from 8.1 percent in April, the first increase in almost a year. Employers added only 69,000 jobs, the fewest in 12 months.

Still, 27 states added jobs in May. California gained the most, adding 33,900. Ohio was next with 19,600.

North Carolina reported the biggest loss, shedding 16,500 jobs. It was followed by Pennsylvania, which lost nearly 10,000.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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