Election Section

Unemployment in SF County rose to 6.9 percent from  

6.3 percent in one month 

LOS ANGELES — California’s economy produced an extra 4,400 jobs in June, but the slim gain was not enough to push down the unemployment rate, which remained unchanged from May’s revised figure of 6.4 percent, state officials said Friday. 

In June 2001, California’s jobless rate was 5.2 percent. 

This year there are an additional 214,000 unemployed, according to the Employment Development Department. 

Although the nonfarm job gains were small, they occurred across a wide range of industries. Mining, construction, wholesale trade, retail trade, finance, insurance and real estate together added 9,400 jobs in June. The strongest growth came from construction, where 2,900 jobs were created. 

Three sectors reported a combined loss of 5,000 jobs: manufacturing, services, and transportation and public services. 

Regionally, Los Angeles County saw one of the biggest increases in unemployment. There were 31,900 more people without jobs than in May, and the jobless rate rose to 7.1 percent from 6.5 percent, the EDD said. 

In Santa Clara County, the heart of Silicon Valley, the unemployment rate increased to 7.6 percent, up from 7.1 percent as the labor pool swelled by 14,300, EDD said. 

In San Francisco County, which is also still feeling the effects of the technology meltdown, the unemployment rate rose to 6.9 percent from 6.3 percent. Nearly 30,000 people are looking for work in the area.