California loses 4,500 payroll jobs in January

“California employers cut payrolls by 4,500 jobs in January, led by declines in the leisure and hospitality industry, the state Employment Development Department reported Friday. The state’s unemployment rate was 4.8 percent, unchanged from December and down from 5.1 percent in January 2006. The number of Californians looking for work in January rose to 877,000 in January from 871,000 in December… The leisure and hospitality industry shed 8,000 jobs in January. Three other sectors posted smaller declines: manufacturing; information; and professional and business services. The job losses were partly offset by gains in the trade, transportation and utilities sector, which added 5,000 jobs.”