San Diegopayrolls grew an anemic 0.3 percent between May 2006 and May 2007, as the county continued to struggle with the weak housing market, according to data released Friday by the California Employment Development Department.
At the same time, the local unemployment rate, which was once far below the national average, has risen from 3.7 percent to 4.2 percent, just a fraction below the national rate of 4.3 percent. In April, the local jobless rate was 4.1 percent.
“The unemployment numbers are not too bad, although they're rising,” said
Kelly Cunningham , economist for the San Diego Institute for Policy Research. “The economy just seems to be 'lulling' right now, with job growth continuing to slow. I still don't foresee us going into a recession, either in San Diego or in
Southern California . But we are in a lull.”
