The Shasta County unemployment rate has dropped slightly from last year. At 4.5%, May was three-tenth of a point lower than May of last year. It’s dropped one half of one percent from the 5% in April. There were 500 fewer people in the labor force from a year earlier. There were gains seen in leisure and hospitality, wholesale trade and in private education and health. Losses were seen in federal and local government jobs, and in financial activities. Tehama County had a 5.2% jobless rate last month. It was 4.7% in Trinity County and 6.5% in Siskiyou County. The statewide rate was 4.7% and it was 4.1% nationally.
-Steve Gibson