Economy

California’s unemployment rate dropped to 8.5 percent in November. That represented a decline of one-fifth of a percentage point from October, according to an Associated Press report. California has added 903,000 jobs since February 2010, according to the report, which cited data from the Employment Development Department. The state is …

National retail sales rose dramatically last week, as the Christmas shopping season entered its final phase. Sales were up four percent for the week that ended Sunday compared with the week that ended Dec. 7, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs Weekly Chain Store Index. …

In another sign of a recovering economy, U.S workers increased their productivity between July and September at the fastest pace since the end of 2009. Productivity was up three percent year-to-year during the third quarter, up from 1.8 percent during the second quarter, according to data released Monday by the …

Some unemployed veterans now have potential job prospects thanks to the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians. Several dozen out-of-work veterans were given face-to-face job interviews Wednesday at the tribal-owned Pechanga Resort & Casino, according to a report originally published in The Press-Enterprise. Casino officials sent out more than 110 invitations …

Private U.S businesses added more jobs in November than had been added in any month during the past year. Companies and small businesses added 215,000 jobs during the past month, mostly because of gains in construction and manufacturing, according to a report originally published by the Associated Press. Private employers …

Some retailers might want to rethink opening on Thanksgiving. Sales nationwide dropped 2.8 percent for the week ending Nov. 30 compared with the previous week, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs Weekly Chain Store Sales Index. Year-to-year the numbers for Black Friday weekend were far …