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%