New jobs report shows hiring slowdown in Los Angeles, San Bernardino counties

Califoia employers added just 4,200 jobs in March compared with the nearly 40,000 that were added the previous month and that same trend played out in Southe Califoia.

But the state’s year-over-year gain of 420,800 jobs fueled a healthy aual growth rate of 2.6 percent, the state Employment Development Department reported Friday. Moreover, Califoia has now added 2,134,400 jobs since the recovery began in February 2010.

Friday’s report additionally showed that Califoia’s unemployment rate dipped to 5.4 percent in March compared with 5.5 percent the previous month and 6.6 percent a year earlier.

Locally, Los Angeles County added 12,800 jobs last month. That was far less than the 45,800 that were added in February. But the county’s jobless rate dropped to 5.4 percent from 5.6 percent in February and it landed a full 2 percentage points below the year-ago rate of 7.4 percent.

Govement accounted for the biggest piece of last month’s employment boost with 5,800 new jobs, and leisure and hospitality added another 3,400. Manufacturing — which has weathered years of decline in Southe Califoia — boosted its payrolls by 2,100, and education and health services also added 2,100 jobs.

Professional and business services saw the biggest decline in March with a loss of 2,100 jobs and additional losses were seen in construction, trade, transportation and utilities and mining and logging.

Year over year, L.A. County added 97,700 jobs at a rate of 2.3 percent.

The county’s biggest aual employment gain came in educational and health services, which added 36,800 jobs. Other sizable increases were seen in leisure and hospitality (19,900) and trade, transportation and utilities (11,100).

Construction added 3,900 jobs but manufacturing shed 5,100.

The Inland Empire added 8,100 jobs last month and 45,400 over the year at a robust aual rate of 3.4 percent. Unemployment held steady at 5.8 percent, landing a percentage point below the March 2015 reading of 6.8 percent.

The two-county region’s biggest job gains for March came in govement, which saw an increase of 2,900 jobs. Six other sectors also posted gains, led by trade, transportation and utilities (1,900) and educational and health services (1,700).

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Leisure and hospitality saw the only decline with a loss of 700 jobs.

The biggest year-over-year employment gains came in trade, transportation and utilities, which added 14,800 jobs. Nine other sectors also posted gains including construction, which added 6,500 jobs.