When 3.8 percent unemployment falls short

COMMENTARY /// Labor market report



The California Labor Market Information Division recently released its May 2017 report, showing an improvement in Ventura County’s unemployment rate from 4 percent in April to 3.8 percent in May. Just to be clear, 3.8 percent is a stunningly strong number.

Looking back to 2000, we bettered this only twice, at 3.7 percent in May 2006 and in May 2001.

Historically, May has been our strongest month each calendar year, registering 3.9 percent in 2000, 3.7 percent in 2001, then after a rise post 9/11 got back to 4.1 percent in 2005 and 2007.

For the current month data, go to www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov.

Prior to the recession, a 3.8 percent unemployment rate would have been heralded as “full-employment,” indicating that everyone that wanted a job could get one, with the high number of jobs per worker and the competition for their skills, wages going up.

As much as we appreciate 3.8 percent unemployment, we’re not seeing those conditions. That’s not a Ventura County thing; rather, it’s a larger, even national phenomenon.

Concentrating on Ventura County, what we’re seeing is:

Still slow job creation, narrowed almost exclusively to health services, leisure and hospitality;

Declining labor force participation, down by 8,600 workers over five years, nearly flat over 10 years;

Wages are stagnant, as the mix of jobs is increasingly concentrated in low wage hospitality and services.

The result is that the economic recovery is failing to distribute its benefits of wealth and opportunity broadly to workers. Or put another way, a smaller and smaller share of the county’s residents are finding economic prosperity through work.

So how did we get to 3.8 percent unemployment in May?

We lost 1,300 workers from the labor force. Unemployment dropped not because more workers found work but because fewer were looking for work. Total employment per the household survey is down in May by 1,100.

We had a net gain of only 100 jobs, down 900 in farm and up 1,000 in the nonfarm sectors.

There were no big swings in the nonfarm sectors, with three sectors accounting for most of the losses:

Manufacturing down 200, though still up 200 year-over-year;

Retail trade down 400 and down 1,300 year-over-year, on a slow but steady slide;

Professional, scientific and technical services are down 400. This is a concern because these tend to be high-wage jobs; not so concerning as the sector has largely stayed even in number over the last several years.

For gains, we have four sectors worth highlighting:

Construction gained 100, continuing its slow but positive rise. What’s most interesting here is that the gains are highly concentrated in the specialty trade contractors sub-sector, good news for skilled labor and good wages.

Educational and health services gained another 500, up a whopping 3,600 year-over-year or 8.1 percent.

Leisure and hospitality up by 400 in May and by 2,500 yearover year or 6.8 percent.

Government up by 600, though by only 400 year-overyear, in a broad mix of state and local government.

The unemployment rate in the statewide context: In what ought to be interpreted as a statement of strength for California, Ventura County’s 3.8 percent unemployment earns only 15th place among the state’s 58 counties. That’s unchanged from April.

Santa Barbara tied with Ventura County at 4 percent last month, is 12th in May at 3.6 percent; San Luis Obispo is fifth at 3 percent; Los Angeles is 19th at 4 percent; and inland neighbor Kern County is 8.4 percent, struggling still with the low price on a barrel of oil.

California’s unadjusted unemployment rate is 4.2 percent.

The Bay Area continues to lead, holding the top four slots, with San Mateo County number one at 2.4 percent, Marin at 2.6 percent, San Francisco at 2.7 and Santa Clara at 2.9 percent.

For details, call Bruce Stenslie, EDC-VC, at (805) 384-1800, ext. 24 or email bruce.stenslie@ edc-vc.com.

Stenslie is president/CEO of the Economic Development Collaborative-Ventura County.

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