O.C. Jobless Rate Takes Seasonal Jump : Employment: The figure is 1 point higher than a year ago, but is still one of the lowest in Southern California.

Fueled by continuing job losses that include seasonal layoffs by traditional summer employers such as amusement parks and retail stores, Orange County’s unemployment rate climbed to 4.9%--or 67,000 people--in September, up from 3.8% a year earlier.

The county’s employment scene underscores the overall weakness of the economy, with job losses being reported in most major business segments.

And while the local jobless rate is the lowest in Southern California--Los Angeles County, for example, recorded a 9.3% rate last month--it does not take into account several growing segments of the jobless community.

The jobless tally doesn’t include so-called discouraged workers, people who have given up looking for jobs.

No Orange County figures are available, but the U.S. Department of Labor earlier this month estimated that the number of discouraged workers nationally rose by 100,000 in the third quarter to 1.1 million people.

The national jobless count also doesn’t include the estimated 6.4 million people who are working part time because they can’t find full-time jobs. That figure rose by 500,000 from August.

In Orange County, students quitting summer jobs to return to school reduced the size of the work force and the total number of employed last month, according to state Employment Development Department figures.

Even so, last month’s 4.9% jobless rate was up from 4.7% in August, an increase of 1,300 people.

In a separate report on employment in Orange County, EDD labor market analyst Eleanor Jordan found that the total number of jobs in the county rose by 5,400 to 1.21 million in September from the previous month.

All of that increase, however, was accounted for by seasonal hiring in the schools as state and local education agencies added 9,000 people to their payrolls.

The construction industry reported a loss of 1,200 jobs in September after four consecutive months of increases, and retail employers pared 1,100 positions from their payroll.

Manufacturing employment is down by 9,000 jobs, for a 3.6% decline; construction is off 5,300 jobs, or 7.6%; and the retail trades have dropped 2,400 jobs for a 1.1% decline.

Increases over the year were posted in the wholesale trades, up 200 jobs; finance, insurance and real estate, up 600 positions, and service employment-which includes professions in the health services and business training and consulting--up 2,600. Government employment expanded by 2,400 jobs in the 12-month period.