ORANGE COUNTY

January Jobless Numbers Due: The state’s Employment Development Department is scheduled to release the January unemployment figures for Orange County and most other counties in California on Friday. The regional unemployment rates--which, unlike the national and state figures, are not adjusted for seasonal trends--are thought to have climbed from December’s levels, reflecting the layoff of temporary holiday-season workers. In December, Orange County’s jobless rate fell from 4.8% to a four-year low of 4.1%. The January jobless rate for Los Angeles County, which was released earlier this month, showed unemployment rising to 8.9% from 8.1% in December.