O.C. Jobless Rate at 6.6%; Slightly Above ’92 Level

Orange County’s unemployment rate for September was 6.6%, up only slightly from a rate of 6.5% for both August and for September, 1992, the state Employment Development Department reported Monday.

The change, viewed by economists as unremarkable, was in keeping with a general trend of increases in the number of service-sector jobs in the county and a decline in defense-related manufacturing.

“Generally, there is not much we can celebrate,” said Esmael Adibi, director of the Center for Economic Research at Chapman University in Orange. He said the trend in employment is “generally upward” but that hiring will not rebound for some time to pre-recession levels.

The state said that 4,100 jobs were added between August and September this year, most of them seasonal positions. The increases came in education; transportation and public utilities; and finance, insurance and real estate.

But over a 12-month period, Orange County lost 13,400 jobs, the bulk of them in construction, manufacturing and retail and wholesale trades. About 5,900 jobs were lost in high-tech manufacturing alone, according to the EDD.

Amil Puri, chairman of the Cal State Fullerton Economics Department, said the employment picture is likely to improve, though not rapidly. Puri said of Monday’s jobless figures: “It’s not an encouraging trend, but it seems like we are in a transitional phase. Only in the beginning of 1994 will we see improvement in employment.”

Puri said the wildfires that destroyed more than 300 homes in Laguna Beach last week will spur some hiring as homes are rebuilt, but that may not happen for a couple years. He noted that some insurance claims from the 1991 Oakland fire--the state’s worst blaze, which destroyed 3,000 homes--have yet to be settled.

But Bruce DeVine, chief economist of the Southern California Assn. of Governments in Los Angeles, said he thinks the effect could be more immediate, creating some construction jobs within a few months.

“We will see some pickup in the next three months because of the fires,” DeVine predicted. “That will affect demand for building supplies and hardware. It’s a very small silver lining in a very big cloud.”

Job Market Malaise

Orange County’s sluggish economy is reflected in its unemployment rate, which ahs changed very little over the past year.

Sept. 1993: 6.6%

Employment Figures by Industry

Service-producing industries provided Orange County’s only increase in employment from September, 1992, to September, 1993. Employment figures in thousands:

Sept. 92 July 93 Aug. 93 Sept. 93 Total (all industries) 1,125.0 1,113.2 1,108.5 1,111.6 Agriculture, forestry and 6.0 7.4 6.0 5.8 fisheries Total non-agricultural 1,119.0 1,105.8 1,101.5 1,105.8

*

GOODS-PRODUCING INDUSTRIES

Sept. 92 July 93 Aug. 93 Sept. 93 Goods producing 267.4 255.2 254.2 252.4 industries (total) Mining 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.0 Construction 49.1 44.2 44.4 43.8 Manufacturing 217.2 210.0 208.8 207.6 Non-durable goods (total) 67.4 67.1 66.9 66.8 Food and kindred products 10.8 10.2 10.2 10.1 Textiles and apparel 10.5 10.9 10.7 10.8 Paper, printing and publishing 21.5 21.1 21.0 21.0 Chemical and petroleum 10.3 10.6 10.7 10.8 Rubber, plastic and leather 14.3 14.3 14.3 14.1 Durable goods (total) 149.8 142.9 141.9 140.8 Lumber, wood and furniture 9.3 9.2 9.3 9.5 Stone, clay and glass 3.1 2.6 2.5 2.5 Primary and fabricated metal 19.7 19.2 18.9 18.7 Industrial machinery 30.2 28.4 27.9 27.7 Electronic equipment 28.2 28.4 26.2 28.0 Transportation equipment 22.2 19.7 19.6 19.4 Instruments and related products 33.7 32.2 32.1 31.7 Miscellaneous manufacturing 3.4 3.3 3.4 3.3

*

SERVICE-PRODUCING INDUSTRIES

Sept. 92 July 93 Aug. 93 Sept. 93 Service-producing 851.6 850.6 847.3 853.4 industries (total) Transportation and 35.6 36.4 36.7 36.9 public utilities Wholesale trade 78.4 76.6 75.8 75.4 Retail trade 199.7 198.0 197.6 197.3 Finance, insurance and 94.6 92.7 92.6 92.9 real estate Services 320.2 326.7 326.0 325.2 Government (combined) 123.1 120.2 118.6 125.7 Federal 15.2 16.0 15.0 15.0 State and local 107.9 105.2 103.6 110.7 High technology * 71.7 67.0 66.4 65.8 Tourism * 121.2 123.2 123.4 121.2

* Includes jobs counted in other industries.

Source: California Employment Development Department