Unemployment rates remain stable
Karen S. Kim
BURBANK -- Local unemployment rates followed a regional trend of
stability for April, neither rising nor falling from numbers estimated in
March.
Los Angeles County’s unemployment rate sustained at 6.5%, with Burbank
at 4.5% and Glendale at 6.1%.
“Normally, employment tends to start expanding after the beginning of
the year if we’re in a better economic time,” said Bill Freed, labor
market specialist for California’s Employment Development Department.
“Right now, we’re just kind of in this holding pattern.”
Estimated numbers show that 6,150 Glendale people were unemployed
during April, while 2,560 Burbank people were reported out of work.
And employment rates may be slow to rise.
“It’s going to be a very, very slow recovery,” said Jack Kyser, chief
economist for Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. “What you’re
going to find is that businesses are going to be very cautious of hiring
people. It’s expensive to hire people and and then have to turn around
and lay them off.”
Don Nakamoto, Glendale’s labor market specialist, agreed.
“The typical way that an economy responds to a recession, the
unemployment rate going down is usually the last thing to kind of kick
in,” he said.
OUT OF WORK
The following are numbers provided by the California Employment
Development Department.
April
Area*Labor force*Unemployment rate
Los Angeles County*4,857,500*6.5%
Burbank*56,730*4.5%
Glendale*100,260*6.1%
La Canada Flintridge*10,620*2.5%
La Crescenta-Montrose*10,370*3.5%
March
Los Angeles County*4,907,700*6.5%
Burbank*57,310*4.5%
Glendale*101,300*6.1%
La Canada Flintridge*10,740*2.5%
La Crescenta-Montrose*10,480*3.5%