(Imperial County Unemployment)…It began 2018 the same as it ended 2017.

The latest numbers were released this week by the Labor Market Information Division of the Employment Development Department. According to the report, January unemployment came in at 17 percent, unchanged from the December 2017 numbers, and below the year-ago estimate of 19.8 percent. This compares to an unadjusted jobless rate of 4.8 percent for the state and 4.5 percent for the nation during the same period. The report indicates 12,400 eligible workers were unemployed in January out of a Labor Force of 72,800. According to the report, Imperial County did not have the highest unemployment rate in the state in January. Colusa County, with a jobless rate of 18.5 percent was the highest in California.