California’s Labor Shortages Persist Amid Dropping Unemployment Rate

California’s Labor Shortages Persist Amid Dropping Unemployment Rate
A "help wanted" sign in front of a restaurant in Los Angeles on Feb. 4, 2022. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
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California’s unemployment rates decreased substantially over the past year according to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Labor, but businesses still face worker shortages.

Employment rates have increased in 49 states in the nation, according to an April 15 report (pdf) released by the labor department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, with California accounting for the largest job increase—over one million jobs created—in the past year.