Unemployment, Jobs Both Rise

California recorded a 5.4 percent unemployment rate in June, up 0.2 percent compared with May but down from 6.2 percent year-over-year, the state Employment Development Department reported Friday.

The increase came despite the fact that California employers in the public and private sector – not counting agriculture – added 40,300 jobs during the month, a sign that more people are either entering or re-entering the job market, the department reported.

Education and health services posted the largest gains, adding 105,200 jobs, a 4.3 percent increase compared with June 2015. Manufacturing lost 7,800 jobs during that time, the largest decline of any sector, according to the department.

Riverside and San Bernardino counties recorded unemployment rates of 6.6 percent and 6.5 percent respectively in June, virtually unchanged from one year earlier.

“It’s still a solid economy,” said Jay Prag, professor of economics and finance at the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University. “It’s not going through the roof, but it is putting up solid numbers.”