Strong December For California Economy

The California jobs market ended an up-and-down 2015 on a high note, adding 60,400 jobs in December after a paltry 7,200 in November.

December’s gain means California employers added 459,000 jobs last year, a healthy three percent growth rate. It's the fourth straight year with such strong job gains.

Chapman University economist Esmael Adibi says California faced lots of challenges last year, especially the drought and a drop in oil production.

“So given those two elements in 2015, the fact that we’re doing 459,000 jobs for the year is pretty encouraging,” he says.

The state’s unemployment rate rose a fraction in December. But Adibi says the job creation number is more important.

“When businesses hire people – give them a paycheck – they’re planning to keep the person,“ he says, “and that is a good sign. That shows the economy’s strength – or weakness, when they start laying off. And looking at that, job creation has been fantastic.”

California’s unemployment rate now stands at 5.8 percent, far below the 7.1 percent rate from December of 2014.

Recent Job Ads for Sacramento Roseville Arden Arcade MSA Not Seasonally Adjusted - December 2015

Employers With The Most Job Ads In The Sacramento Region

• Oracle - 709
• Sutter Health - 579
• Dignity Health - 486
• Kaiser Permanente - 405
• University Of California, Davis - 384
• Robert Half International - 314
• Intel - 287
• Los Rios Community College District - 243
• Target Corporation - 243
• Accenture - 238