Unemployment

Local unemployment rates edged up slightly in May, even as the motion picture and sound recording industries — major business drivers in the area — posted strong job growth, according to the latest figures released today. In Glendale, the unemployment rate increased to 10.6% in May, up from 10.3% the month before. The rate increased to 9.9% in Burbank, up from 9.7% in April, according to the California Employment Development Department. In the area served by the Verdugo Workforce Investment Board, which includes Burbank, Glendale, La Crescenta and La Cañada Flintridge, the unemployment rate was at 10%, far lower than the 12.3% for Los Angeles County.

Karen S. Kim GLENDALE -- Unemployment rates dropped to 6.0%, or 6,120 people, in Glendale during February, from a January rate of 6.2%, following a countywide trend of falling unemployment rates. Rates across the board fell slightly in February, with unemployment rates dropping in Los Angeles County from 6.6% to 6.4%, or 314,300 people, between January and February, according to numbers released by the state Employment Development Department. "The drop this month is consistent with the nation and the state, and other economic indicators show that the economy as a whole is improving, so let's hope that's what this is," said Bill Freed, labor market specialist for the Employment Development Department.

Karen S. Kim Local unemployment rates neither rose nor fell during May, making it the third consecutive month the numbers remained unchanged. Los Angeles County's unemployment rate has held at 6.5% since March, while Glendale's rate of 6.1%. Burbank's rate of 4.5% also remained unchanged over the past three months. The trend is one that is in line with unemployment numbers in the region and state, Glendale labor market specialist Don Nakamoto said.

Local unemployment rates held steady in June, with numbers in Glendale and Burbank remaining under 10%, according to a report released today by the state’s Economic Development Department. While the percentage of job-seekers out of work stayed on par with May statistics in Glendale, Burbank, La Canada, La Crescenta and Montrose, the area’s workforce did shrink by a combined total of 200, according to the department. There are a total of 187,700 workers in the area, of which 17,000 cannot find jobs.

GLENDALE — Jobless rates in Glendale and Burbank are nearing 10%, continuing a steady rise from the start of the year, according to the latest figures released by the state. Unemployment rose to 9.9% in Glendale in March and 9.2% in Burbank, with a combined total of 16,000 job-seekers out of work among the two cities, said Olga Hernandez, labor market specialist for the Employment Development Department. The rates in the two cities were less than California’s record average of 11.2% in March, which was up from 10.6% in February, state figures show.

GLENDALE — Local unemployment rates held relatively steady in March, with jobless figures for Glendale and Burbank remaining below the rate for Los Angeles County, according to a report released Friday. Glendale’s unemployment rate improved slightly to 10.7% — down 0.1% from last month — while Burbank’s remained the same at 10%, according to monthly labor data released Friday by the California Employment Development Department. The data were not seasonally adjusted, which means they did not account for variables, such as temporary jobs.

Local unemployment rates fell slightly in October, even as jobless figures across Los Angeles County rose 0.2%, the state’s Economic Development Department reported Friday. Glendale’s unemployment rate dropped to 11%, from 11.1% in September. The unemployment rate in Burbank was 10.3%, down from 10.4% the month prior, according to the report. The jobless figure in the La Crescenta-Montrose area also declined 0.1% from September’s rate, to 5.8%, although it held steady in La Cañada Flintridge, at 4.7%, according to the department.

Veterans Day is upon us, that time of year in which we all pause to remember the sacrifices of our armed forces. But this reflection should take place every day, not just Nov. 11. Amid the parades, speeches and ceremonies is a poorly kept - and poorly dealt with - secret: the plight of so many men and women who remain wounded long after the battle is over. The troubles form a long list: homelessness, joblessness, mental illness and inadequate healthcare for physical and psychological injuries.

DOWNTOWN — New national unemployment figures released Friday reflect a trend seen locally — the days of sweeping job cuts may be ending, experts say. Although unemployment figures rose nationally in May — from 8.9% to 9.4% — only 345,000 jobs were lost nationwide, about half the average over the last six months, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The change was largely a result of a slowing pace of job cuts, which appears to have also occurred in Glendale and Burbank, experts said.

The unemployment rates throughout the tri-city area declined in February in tandem with California, driven down by gains in the motion picture/sound recording industry, professional services and educational/health services. Burbank came out on top with a 0.6% drop in the jobless rate to 8.3%, according to statistics released today by the California Employment Development Department. Glendale and Pasadena each saw their unemployment rates decline by 0.5%, to 9% and 7.8%, respectively.

The unemployment rate for the greater Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena region rose across the board in December, despite staying stable statewide, according to data released Friday. The jobless rates for the three major cities in the area - Glendale, Pasadena and Burbank - each increased by 0.3% in December compared to November, according to the California Employment Development Department. That put the unemployment rate at 8.9% in Glendale, 7.8% in Pasadena and 8.3% in Burbank. Across the state, job losses were reported in residential construction, legal services and gambling.

The communities in the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena area saw slight upticks in their unemployment figures, according to the latest state data released Friday. Burbank and Pasadena both saw a 0.2% increase, putting their jobless rates at 8.4% and 7.9%, respectively, according to the California Employment Development Department. Glendale's jobless rate edged up by 0.1% to 9%. The soft tri-city figures came even as the state as a whole showed improvement. The state's labor market showed continued strength in October as California employers added 45,800 nonfarm jobs to payrolls last month, outpacing the U.S. growth rate, the L.A. Times reported.

Veterans Day is upon us, that time of year in which we all pause to remember the sacrifices of our armed forces. But this reflection should take place every day, not just Nov. 11. Amid the parades, speeches and ceremonies is a poorly kept - and poorly dealt with - secret: the plight of so many men and women who remain wounded long after the battle is over. The troubles form a long list: homelessness, joblessness, mental illness and inadequate healthcare for physical and psychological injuries.

Unemployment rates rose throughout the tri-city region in July, with some communities reporting up to a 0.7% jump, according to the latest labor statistics released by the state Friday. Glendale and Burbank both saw 0.7% hikes in their jobless numbers, increasing to 10.4% and 9.7%, respectively, according to the report released by the California Employment Development Department. Pasadena wasn't far behind with a 0.6% rise, climbing to 9.1%. Some of the biggest job losses were reported in government, furniture manufacturing and electronics stores, according to the report.