Overview
- California shed 4,500 jobs in September and its unemployment rate rose to 5.6%, above the U.S. rate of 4.4% and highest among states.
- The Bay Area eked out a 500-job gain, with the South Bay down 700, the East Bay up 700, San Francisco–San Mateo up 300, and mixed results across North Bay counties.
- Losses were concentrated in professional and business services (down 10,400) and trade and transportation (down 8,700), while health care added 13,100 jobs.
- The figures are preliminary federal estimates released after a 43-day data delay, with California’s Employment Development Department set to issue detailed county data next.
- Analysts tie part of the weakness to ongoing tech layoffs at companies such as Google, Meta, and Microsoft, even as the U.S. added 119,000 jobs in September.