Unemployment

Karen S. Kim BURBANK -- Local unemployment rates dropped to 4.4%, or 2,540 people, during February, from a January rate of 4.6%, following a countywide trend of falling unemployment rates. Rates across the board fell slightly in February, with unemployment rates dropping in Los Angeles County from 6.6% to 6.4%, or 314,300 people, between January and February, according to numbers released by the state Employment Development Department. "The drop this month is consistent with the nation and the state, and other economic indicators show that the economy as a whole is improving, so let's hope that's what this is," said Bill Freed, labor market specialist for the Employment Development Department.

Karen S. Kim Glendale -- A rapid response team at the Verdugo Job Center has been working to aid local businesses facing great economic hardship after Sept. 11, as unemployment rates continue to rise at a slow, but steady, pace in Burbank. "It seems to be creeping up at a slower level and not as dramatic as the national or state levels," said Don Nakamoto, labor market specialist for the Verdugo Work Force Investment Board, which develops work force policy for Glendale, Burbank and La Canada Flintridge.

BURBANK — The growing popularity of out-of-state film productions has emerged as the major contributor to the area’s rising unemployment rates, which jumped toward 10% in May after a brief decline in April, experts said. Unemployment rates rose from 8.7% to 9.2% in Burbank and 9.4% to 9.9% in Glendale, matching the figures logged in March, according to a report released Friday by the California Economic Development Department. In December, the jobless rates for Burbank and Glendale were just 7.7% and 8.3%, respectively.

Karen S. Kim Local unemployment rates neither rose nor fell during May, making it the third consecutive month the numbers remained unchanged. Los Angeles County's unemployment rate has held at 6.5% since March, as has Burbank's at 4.5%. Glendale's unemployment rate is 6.1%. The trend is one that is in line with unemployment numbers in the region and state, Glendale labor market specialist Don Nakamoto said. "The rates are staying about the same or dropping slightly," he said.

DOWNTOWN — A recovering film industry helped tamp down local unemployment rates in November, pushing the mark back toward single-digit territory, according to state figures released Friday. The unemployment rate in Glendale slid to 10.6% last month, down from 11% in October. In Burbank, the jobless rate fell to 9.9% from 10.3% over the same period, according to the state Economic Development Department. Labor market specialists attributed the gains to continued strong activity in the film industry, which continues to buoy back from the 100-day Writers Guild strike in 2007.

New national unemployment figures released Friday reflect a trend seen locally — the days of sweeping job cuts may be ending, experts say. Although unemployment figures rose nationally in May — from 8.9% to 9.4% — only 345,000 jobs were lost nationwide, about half the average over the last six months, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The change was largely a result of a slowing pace of job cuts, which appears to have also occurred in Glendale and Burbank, experts said.

Unemployment rates in Burbank and Glendale fell by a tenth of a percentage point, although the change came as workforces shrank in both cities, the California Economic Development Department reported Friday. The jobless rate was 10.5% in Glendale and 9.8% in Burbank, according to the report. While the decreases signaled economic progress, fewer workers were employed in each city in December than in November, with the amount of job seekers in the region declining as well, indicating a likely increase in discouraged workers, economists said.

Local unemployment rates fell slightly in October, even as jobless figures across Los Angeles County rose 0.2%, the state’s Economic Development Department reported Friday. The unemployment rate in Burbank was 10.3% in October, down from 10.4% the month prior, according to the report. Glendale’s unemployment rate dropped to 11%, from 11.1% in September. The jobless figure in the La Crescenta-Montrose area also declined 0.1% from September’s rate, to 5.8%, although it held steady in La Cañada Flintridge, at 4.7%, according to the department.

Jim's life is one of parking lots. Every day, he moves his 1973 Dodge Sportsman motor home in and out of various lots in and around Burbank, never staying at one spot for too long before moving on again. At the end of the day, he stays on the periphery of Burbank, where overnight parking of motor homes and RVs is prohibited without a permit, which he says he can't afford. Jim, who declined to give his last name for fear of tipping off authorities, has been homeless since 2007, due in part to work-related injuries that makes it difficult to hold down a job. At 56, he must also compete with younger, more tech-savvy job-seekers.

Local unemployment figures edged down in November across the tri-city region, fueled by increases in industries such as retail, healthcare and hospitality. The unemployment rates in Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena all dipped by 0.3%, according to data released Friday by the California Economic Development Department. In Burbank, the jobless rate dropped to 9.4% in November, in Glendale, the rate was 10.1% and Pasadena saw its employment number decline to 8.8%. Statewide, the unemployment rate was 11.3% in November, down slightly from 11.7% in October.

In spite of the recovering economy and ongoing investigations into the Police Department, a recent survey shows that 96% of Burbank residents generally are satisfied with the city. About 78% of those surveyed reported they were very satisfied overall with Burbank's services, and 18% said they were somewhat satisfied. Another 3% said they were somewhat dissatisfied, less than 1% said they were very dissatisfied, and 1% had no opinion. The last citizen survey was conducted in 2001 and showed a 95% general satisfaction with city services.

GLENDALE — Unemployment rates in Glendale and Burbank last month dropped by 0.8% and 0.7%, respectively, according to figures released Friday, but experts were cautious about drawing any long-term conclusions. Glendale’s unemployment rate is 10.8%, with Burbank at 10%, according to monthly labor data released by the California Employment Development Department. The data was not seasonally adjusted, which means it did not account for variables that affect employment, such as temporary jobs.

Unemployment rates surged in Burbank and Glendale in January, according to a report released Wednesday by the California Economic Development Department. The jobless rate in Glendale was 11.5% in January, up from 10.5% in December, and was 10.7% in Burbank, up from 9.8% in a month ago, according to the department’s estimates. The changes are likely a result of seasonal employment shifts after the holiday season, although job losses in the entertainment industry and other sectors may reflect challenges for the local economy, experts said.

Regional foreclosure filings surged 63% in 2009, tripling the increases seen in California and the nation as mortgage trouble rippled into previously unaffected areas, according to a real estate report released Thursday. The 3,325 foreclosure filings in Burbank, Glendale, La Crescenta, Montrose and La Cañada Flintridge were up from a total of 2,044 in 2008, according to data prepared for the Leader by real estate tracking firm RealtyTrac. Statewide, foreclosure filings jumped 21% in 2009.

Unemployment rates in Burbank and Glendale fell by a tenth of a percentage point, although the change came as workforces shrank in both cities, the California Economic Development Department reported Friday. The jobless rate was 10.5% in Glendale and 9.8% in Burbank, according to the report. While the decreases signaled economic progress, fewer workers were employed in each city in December than in November, with the amount of job seekers in the region declining as well, indicating a likely increase in discouraged workers, economists said.