Unemployment in Kern County dropped a little bit in May, but still was way above the rate for May, 2008, according to statistics released Friday morning.
The May rate for Kern was 14.2 percent. That's down from 14.8 percent in April, but more than 5 percent above the 9.0 of May, 2008.
The month-to-month improvement reflects an increase of 13,900 jobs in Kern, according to the Employment Development Department. Those jobs were spread across all industries except the oil industry, manufacturing and government.
Even before the huge round of county layoffs expected next month, 500 jobs were reported lost in the government sector between April and May.
Statewide, the unemployment rate jumped 0.4 percent, to 11.2 percent. That's the fifth-worst in the nation, behind Michigan, Oregon, Rhode Island and South Carolina. Michigan, home to the auto industry, is worst in the nation with an unemployment rate of 14.1 percent.
In May, 2008, the California rate was 6.8 percent.
Nationwide, the rate was 9.1 percent.
Friday's report was released as Congress prepared to consider declaring the San Joaquin Valley an ''economic disaster" area.
That's based on a think-tank report released Friday that said the recession has hit the Valley harder than almost any other place in the nation.
The report found Modesto's 17.5 percent is the worst of any the nation's 100 most populous metropolitan areas.
Bakersfield/Kern County's 15.9 percent rate -- at the time the study was conducted -- was the third worst in the nation.
