California's unemployment rate in April was much higher than previously thought.
State officials announced last month the state's jobless rate in April was 15.5%. But Friday, the Employment Development Department said the rate actually was 16.4%.
It's a remarkable revision that represents the state's unprecedented job losses because of the coronavirus pandemic.
As a result, May's unemployment rate fell slightly to 16.3% as the state added 141,600 jobs last month.
San Luis Obispo County's unemployment rate was 12.7% in May, down from a revised 14% in April. The unemployment rate in May 2019 was 2.4%.
In Santa Barbara County, the unemployment rate was 12.9% in May, down from a revised 13.9% in April. The unemployment rate in May 2019 was 2.9%.
California's unemployment rate remains far higher than the 12.3% rate the state hit at the height of the Great Recession a decade ago. Overall, the state has lost more than 2 million jobs since the coronavirus struck.
