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California Unemployment Rate Dips To 10.1 Percent

SACRAMENTO (CBS SF) -- California's jobless rate continues to fall but it's still above 10 percent.

The state Employment Development Department reported the rate was 10.1 percent in October, down from 10.2 percent a month earlier.

There were 45,800 jobs added to payrolls. The private sector did well, adding jobs in construction and higher-paying professional areas. In a good start for the shopping season, 20,500 retail jobs were added.

The biggest job losses were in government—part of an ongoing trend.

Overall, department spokesman Kevin Callori says California's jobless rate continues to drop—continuing an economic turnaround that began in February of 2010.

Locally, Marin County maintained the lowest unemployment rate in the state at 5.8 percent in October, the same as the previous month.

The highest unemployment numbers in the region come from Solano County, where a 9.3 percent rate continued in October.

San Francisco's rate remained at 6.8 percent.

The national unemployment rate jumped slightly to 7.9 percent in October compared to 7.8 percent the previous month, according to officials.

The state's unemployment rate is derived from a federal survey of 5,500 households throughout California.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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