Humboldt County unemployment at 4.8%, but growth is anemic

Humboldt County's unemployment rate improved to 4.8% in April, according to data released Friday by the Employment Development Department. It's down from a revised rate of 5.1% in March.

But the good news is limited. Humboldt County's labor force also shrank to 59,900, a loss of 500 workers. And the county lost 200 jobs.

"Over the past 25 years, California's labor market has swung more widely than the national market during downturns, such as the Great Recession, and periods of job growth such as the 2010s," a new report from the Public Policy Center of California notes. "After recovering quickly from the impact of the pandemic, statewide job growth plummeted in 2022 and has since come to a standstill. The U.S. job decline was more gradual, but the national labor market now mirrors the stagnancy in California."

Those trends are apparent in Humboldt County, where the labor force is remaining around 60,000. Nearly every sector shows little to no growth in April. The sectors with gains include mining, logging and construction, which typically increase when the weather improves, and the federal government. Both mining, logging and construction, and federal government added 100 jobs in April, but year over year, both sectors show 0% growth.

"Government jobs and jobs in ‘other services' - a sector that includes businesses like auto repair and dry cleaning as well as some civic organizations - have grown at rates that are similar to pre-pandemic trends," the PPIC report states. "All other key sectors have shed jobs; declines have been largest in information (driven by slowdowns in tech and Hollywood), administrative support, manufacturing, and finance."

Experts have noted that the lack of growth makes it difficult for job seekers.

"California's unemployment rate is higher than in the rest of the country, and increases in unemployment have been particularly stark for Black women and Latino men, as well as for younger workers. Moreover, slow job growth has added to the challenges of those looking for work," the PPIC report states. "There are 1.9 unemployed workers per job opening in California, compared to 1.1 for the U.S. as a whole, and about 30% of unemployed Californians have been looking for work for at least half a year."

The unemployment rate varies among Humboldt County cities and census-designated areas. It's highest in Redway at 8.2%, followed by Rio Dell at 7.8%. Arcata, which traditionally has one of the highest unemployment rates in the county, is at 6.4% with roughly 600 people out of work in its 9,800 resident labor force. Eureka is at 4.3%, Fortuna is at 3.6% and McKinleyville is 4.2%.

In April, California's unemployment rate stayed at 5.3%, the EDD said.

California lost 3,300 jobs in April, continuing an uneven year for the Golden State's employment picture. California gained jobs in January, lost jobs in February, and bounced back with job gains in March prior to April's setback.

"Statewide job performance was anemic," said Michael Bernick, an employment attorney with law firm Duane Morris and a former director of the state EDD. "Outside of healthcare, which has been the main driver of job gains throughout the post-pandemic period, the other sectors continued to show minimal job gains at best, and mainly job losses."

The hiring roller coaster in California has produced a net gain of 97,200 jobs in the state so far in 2026.

Statewide, one of the biggest losses is in the information sector, which lost 7,400 jobs in April. The EDD site noted, "declines were experienced in publishing industries as well as with broadcasting and computing infrastructure providers, data processing, web hosting, and related services. Software publishers has declined to its lowest employment level since before the COVID-19 pandemic."

It comes as Newsom's promise to help the struggling journalism sector evaporated with the promised $175 million funding deal that was supposed to help the industry over five years. In May 2025, citing budget restraints, Newsom slashed the state's first-year commitment to just $10 million for fiscal year 2025-26, with no future state funding guaranteed. Google acted similarly.

California is among the worst of the worst when it comes to jobless rates. The 5.3% figure left California tied with Nevada and Delaware for the highest unemployment rates among the 50 states, information posted at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics site shows.

The Bay Area News Group contributed to this report. Ruth Schneider can be reached at 707-441-0520.

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