L.A. County unemployment hits 13%

Ouch - December's jobless rate is up from 12.8 percent in the previous month and 12.3 percent in December 2010. Statewide, the unemployment rate is 12.5 percent, up from 12.4 percent in November. But on the bright side, L.A. saw an increase of 4,400 payroll jobs between November and December. California as a whole saw payroll jobs rise by 4,900 (not a terrific number considering we're supposed to be in a recovery). Keep in mind that the unemployment and payroll figures are based on separate surveys, and it's not that unusual to see them moving in different directions. The higher jobless rate could be the result of more people entering the labor pool. Still, 13 percent is not great. Here's the EDD release.