L.A. County picks up 29,900 jobs

Government and educational/health services made up 80 percent of the payroll gains from September to October (much of that coming from colleges, universities and professional schools). Trade and transportation also did well (possibly reflecting the pickup in port activity), while construction and manufacturing showed small declines. While a gain is a gain, the limited number of sectors where jobs were added would indicate that the local employment situation remains sluggish at best. Meanwhile, the county unemployment rate was unchanged in October at 12.6 percent, though the city of L.A. was close to 14 percent (not seasonally adjusted).