Employment Development Department

Richard Kelly feels as if he's living in one of those horror movies where the monsters only appear to be dead--and then, uh-oh, they're ba-a-a-a-ck! The Venice seafood dealer last year fought and won a battle with the state Employment Development Department over a tax bill from a failed business venture. He believed he owed the state less than $3,000. The agency, because of a clerical error it took months to acknowledge, claimed the bill was nearly $20,000. Now comes the sequel.

California's unemployment rate climbed in December as fallout from real estate downturn and the state's budget woes continued to weigh on the labor market. The jobless rate rose to 12.5% from 12.4% in November. That stood in contrast to the nation's unemployment rate, which fell to 9.4% in December, from 9.8% the previous month. California employers added just 4,900 jobs to payrolls in December, the Employment Development Department said Friday, after adding 30,500 the month before.

While shoppers prepare for the upcoming Christmas rush, major retailers are looking to staff thousands of new jobs as they establish or expand their Orange County operations. During the past week, nearly 1,400 applicants have lined up at the state Employment Development Department, which is helping Wal-Mart screen employment candidates for a store it will open early next year at Anaheim Plaza. Applications will be accepted through Friday at the EDD office on Gene Autry Way near Anaheim Stadium.

Despite double-digit growth in port traffic, a surge in retail sales and rising consumer confidence, employers added just 1,600 jobs in California in November. The unemployment rate remained steady at 12.4%, the state Employment Development Department said Friday. The state had added 42,300 jobs in October. Economists worry that this is another sign that the recovery will be a jobless one in both the state and the nation. The U.S. unemployment rate rose to 9.8% in November from 9.6% the month before as employers added just 39,000 jobs.

When 17-year-old Racheal Harris moved to Ventura from Arizona a couple of weeks ago, she didn't worry much about landing a job. "In Phoenix, it was very easy to get a job," said Racheal, who has been out of school for a year. "I got hired everywhere I put in applications." But Southern California, with a jobless rate soaring near 10%, is a different story. Last weekend, Racheal put in 20 applications at stores in the Buenaventura Plaza. She has yet to hear anything back.

Asian Americans typically have the lowest unemployment rate of any ethnic group in the United States. But in this weak labor market, once they lose their jobs, they have an especially hard time reentering the labor force, data show. In July, nearly half of all jobless Asian Americans in California had been out of work for 27 weeks or longer, compared with 40% of Latinos and 42% of whites, according to an analysis of data from the state Employment Development Department. Experts said the strong family and cultural ties that bind Asian entrepreneurs and a largely foreign-born Asian workforce can be a liability during tough times; laid-off workers often aren't sure where to turn for work outside their ethnic circles.

Despite an appellate court ruling to the contrary, the director of the state Employment Development Department said the agency will continue to verify the legal U.S. residence status of job applicants before referring them to prospective employers. The 1st District Court of Appeal in San Francisco made the ruling on a lawsuit filed by several minority groups, which argued that the practice was discriminatory.

* "Checking Account Management," an educational seminar by Consumer Credit Counseling Service, will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. today at 80 N. Wood Road, Suite 312, Camarillo. The cost is $5. Make reservations with Summer Nicol at (805) 383-7710, Ext. 301. * A free employment tax seminar will be offered by the state Employment Development Department from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce, 625 W. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks.

The state's struggling labor market showed signs of life in October, adding 39,000 jobs in the biggest employment increase since May 2006. The gains were widespread, with employers adding positions in nearly every sector of the economy. But it wasn't enough to make a dent in California's unemployment rate, which remained at 12.4%, according to figures released Friday by the state Employment Development Department. Still, the performance was a major improvement over September, when payrolls declined by 53,600 jobs.

California's deeply troubled labor market took another hit in August as employers laid off more workers than expected, renewing fears that the state's economic recovery has stalled. Employers cut 33,500 jobs, marking the third straight month of losses and pushing the state's unemployment rate to 12.4%, up from 12.3% in July, according to data released Friday by the Employment Development Department. California has lost 113,100 jobs since August 2009. Last month's losses were widespread, hitting almost all sectors, including construction, manufacturing, financial services, leisure and hospitality, trade, transportation and utilities.

Asian Americans typically have the lowest unemployment rate of any ethnic group in the United States. But in this weak labor market, once they lose their jobs, they have an especially hard time reentering the labor force, data show. In July, nearly half of all jobless Asian Americans in California had been out of work for 27 weeks or longer, compared with 40% of Latinos and 42% of whites, according to an analysis of data from the state Employment Development Department. Experts said the strong family and cultural ties that bind Asian entrepreneurs and a largely foreign-born Asian workforce can be a liability during tough times; laid-off workers often aren't sure where to turn for work outside their ethnic circles.

California employers added jobs for the fourth straight month in April as the state's sluggish labor market continued to show signs of life. Payrolls increased by 14,200 in April, bringing the total number of jobs added this year to 56,400, according to the state Employment Development Department. Despite the gains, however, California companies still employ 1.3 million fewer people than they did when employment peaked in July of 2007. "It's certainly nothing to write home about, but it is fair to say we are growing again," said Stephen Levy, director of the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy.

Karl Schafer says he has tried for hundreds of jobs since he was laid off from a truck factory more than two years ago. Still waiting to get hired, the 52-year-old Ohio man has suffered the indignity of applying for food stamps and asking his elderly mother for help. Weary of her own job search, former customer service representative Wagma Omar, 40, of Mission Viejo is thinking about applying for a dangerous civilian job in Afghanistan. And in California's wine country, Kay Stephens, 56, is frantically looking to cut her living expenses so her unemployment doesn't become a burden to her 30-year-old daughter.

California's unemployment rate in February held steady at 12.5% for a second straight month, indicating that the state's economy may be leveling off and could turn upward by late spring. But economists warned that even sizable jumps in key activities, such as retail sales, international trade and orders for big-ticket manufactured goods, probably wouldn't lead to a big drop in jobless figures this year. One sign supporting that forecast came in the state Employment Development Department report released Friday.

The diversity of the Southern California economy shows up in diversity of occupation as well. The state Employment Development Department tracks 357 industries and some 2,000 different occupations ranging from Able Seamen to Yeast Pushers. What follows are brief looks at the employment outlook for other job areas that are key to the Southland's economy.