O.C. Unemployment Drops to 8.1 Percent

The ranks of the unemployed in Orange County shrank nearly half a percent between October and November, according to the California Employment Development Department.

Preliminary estimates released Friday by the agency put Orange County's rate of unemployment for November at 8.1 percent, giving the county the fourth-lowest rate in the state.

Preliminary estimates of joblessness rates for November put only Marin County, with its enviable 6.9-percent unemployment rate, San Mateo County (7.5 percent unemployment), and San Francisco County (7.8 percent) in better straits than Orange County.

In real numbers, the preliminary percentage means that approximately 128,400 people in Orange County are jobless this holiday season. The county's workforce is comprised of nearly 1.6 million people.

The construction industry in Orange County reported the largest month-over decline; jobs in the professional and business services arena also saw reductions.

Jobs in trade, transportation, and utilities reported the largest month-over increase, with retail trade accounting for more than 80 percent of the gain in that sector.

The EDD also noted slight increases in professional, scientific, and technical services and management of companies and enterprises.

November's unemployment rate is far below the year-ago estimate for Orange County of 9.4 percent.

In was unemployed. The previous month, . The number of Orange County workers without a job has been on this downward trend since July. 

California's rate of unemployment for November was 10.9 percent, the EDD estimated; nationally, the rate hit 8.2 percent.