California Unemployment Rate Held Steady At 3.9% In December

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP/CBS13) — California's unemployment rate held steady at the record low 3.9% in December, the state said Friday.

California added 12,600 nonfarm payroll jobs during the month, the Employment Development Department said.

Those gains extend California's record job expansion to 118 months.

The current expansion began in February 2010. The Employment Development Department says California has gained more than 3.4 million jobs since then.

The December job gains stemmed from growth in six industry sectors led by professional and business services.

The Governor's Chief Economic and Business Advisor and Director of the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development, Lenny Mendonca said in a statement:

"California's job growth continued to outpace the nation, for a historic 118 months in December. Over this past year alone, we added 310,300 nonfarm payroll jobs, an increase of 1.8 percent – stronger than the nation's 1.4 percent gain over the same time. As this expansion continues, it's important that we remain fiscally disciplined, which Governor Newsom made a cornerstone in his proposed state budget. It's also important that we recognize that this growth isn't shared by everyone. Ensuring the jobs we have now and in the future are quality jobs, which in turn support economic mobility, is how we build an economy that works for all Californians."