Local Jobless Rate up slightly)....Latest unemployment numbers were released recently.

The numbers are released by the Labor Market Information Division of the Employment Development Department. The latest numbers are for May. Unemployment was at 16.9 percent, slightly up from the 16.7 percent in April, and below the year ago estimate of 17.8%. This compares with an unadjusted unemployment rate of 4.7% for California and 4.1 percent for the nation during the same period. According to the report there were 12,400 unemployed out of a labor force of 73,500.