San Diego County's unemployment rate rose in July to an estimated 4.8 percent, up from 4.6 percent in June and 4.4 percent a year ago, the California Employment Development Department reported Friday. California's unemployment rate rose to 5.3 percent in July, from 5.2 percent in June and 4.8 percent a year ago.
Local economists Alan Gin and Kelly Cunningham said that the county's unemployment report was mixed. The increase in unemployment over a year ago was worrisome, they said, but local businesses still added more than 13,000 jobs. That's a big turnaround from last month's report, which said that only 1,600 jobs had been added locally over the last year.
The job growth reversed a trend that would have resulted in job losses, said Cunningham, of the San Diego Institute for Policy Research. A monthly report on leading economic indicators for the county by Gin has consistently predicted a slowing economy, perhaps lapsing into outright recession.
