Staff Reports Walnut – The Employment Development Department (EDD) reported that unemployment in Diamond Bar and Walnut has decreased from June to July. Diamond Bar is down from 7.9 to 7.7 percent. Walnut is down from 5.9 to 5.3 percent, giving it one of the lowest unemployment rates in L.A. County. In an EDD Press Release on Friday, August 16, 2013, the state’s unemployment rate was listed at 8.5 percent, a 1.1 percent decrease since January. The unemployment rate for Los Angeles County was shown at 10.8 percent. Since last year at this time, non-farm-related jobs have increased by 61,800 in the county, which is encouraging. The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows California ranking 45 out of 51 in the U.S, at 8.7 percent for July. North Dakota ranks first, with 3.0 percent. Rates are estimates based upon an equal percentage of the labor force, and these estimates provide key indicators of local economic conditions. According to the EDD, unemployment rates are based upon place of residence – where people actually live, regardless of where they work. Individuals working more than one job are only counted once. The California economy is continuing to improve, a change we slowly started seeing back in 2010. Increases in the stock market and home prices, as well as growth motivated by technology, foreign trade and tourism have brought about improvements.
