Riverside County’s unemployment rate sank slightly last month, despite seasonal losses in the regional economy, state officials reported Friday.
The jobless rate in the region in July, based on preliminary estimates, was 4.7 percent, compared to 4.8 percent in June, according to the California Employment Development Department.
The rate was more than a full percentage point below the year-ago level, when countywide unemployment stood at 5.8 percent.
Roughly 51,100 Riverside County residents were out of work in July, according to the EDD.
The unincorporated community of Cabazon had the highest unemployment rate countywide at 12.2 percent, followed by Coachella at 10.2 percent and Winchester at 8.3 percent.
The combined unemployment rate for Riverside and San Bernardino counties last month was 4.6 percent, down from 4.7 percent in June.
Bi-county data indicated payrolls contracted steeply in the public sector, which temporarily shed over 15,000 positions, mainly in education, as teachers and support staff from grade schools went on summer hiatus.
The financial and health services sectors, along with miscellaneous unclassified industries, altogether reduced payrolls by 1,400.
Other sectors posted modest gains. Last month’s biggest jump came in professional services, where 1,200 positions were added, according to the EDD.
The agency said the state’s non-seasonally-adjusted jobless rate in July was 4.4 percent.