L.A., California job gains; unemployment rate is flat

Pretty strong report - the state added 18,200 jobs to the rolls in March, the eighth straight month of employment growth and the best showing so far this year. L.A. County payrolls increased by 12,800, also a decent number. The March report is a contrast to the disappointing national picture, which showed job gains last month of only 120,000. Less wonderful were the state and local unemployment rates, which are calculated from a separate survey. L.A. County was unchanged at 11.8 percent and California rose a touch, from 10.9 percent to 11 percent. California has the nation's third-highest jobless rate, behind Nevada (12 percent) and Rhode Island (11.1 percent). (Here's the BLS release.) Still, the higher rate could indicate that more people are encouraged about the job market and have entered the labor pool. Actually, job growth in California has been quite strong during the recovery - more so than in some other parts of the country.