California’s Unemployment Rate Up More than 35 Percent from Year Ago

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Lack of Jobs Another Sign of Struggling Economy

By Anthony Saavedra

As a sign of the nation’s struggling economy, California’s unemployment rate jumped again  to a staggering 7.3 percent of those seeking jobs in July of this year.

The rise of unemployed Californians represents an increase of more than 35 percent from July 2007, when 5.4 percent of the state’s workers were unable to find jobs.

July’s rate is the state’s highest since the summer of 2006, when the state was climbing out of the recession in the early 1990s.  California now has more than 1.3 million workers who are unemployed, a number that is sure to grow in the coming months.  

As food and gas prices skyrocket, and families find it harder to afford health insurance, the rise in the number of unemployed serve as a reminder of the continued need for worker protections.