September's employment numbers were kind of quirky because of stepped-up show biz hiring in preparation for a possible writer's strike. The L.A. County unemployment rate rose to 5.1 percent in September from 4.9 percent the previous month, but that was well below the 5.6 percent rate statewide. (Business Journal) The jobless rate is a little misleading this time around because of all the extra movie and TV activity (studios and networks want to stockpile as much as possible). Without the strike threat, the jobless rate would probably be closer to the state number. In 2000, we saw artificially high employment numbers in advance of contracts talks and then artificially low employment numbers after an agreement was reached and content was already in the can. And speaking of the writers, the vote to authorize a strike (if called by their leaders) was hardly a surprise but the margin was a bit higher than expected - 90.3 percent. What this would suggest is solidarity within a union that's been long known for internal rancor. It could also mean that the members don't know what they're getting themselves into. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)