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California Jobless Rate Rises Back Above 12 Percent

SACRAMENTO (CBS/AP) - The unemployment rate in California is climbing again, hitting 12 percent in July as the state added just 4,500 payroll jobs for the month.

A report issued Friday by the state Employment Development Department showed much weaker job growth in July than in June, continuing a pattern of spotty economic recovery.

The jobless rate rose from 11.8 percent in June and hit 12 percent for the first time since March. Most industries added jobs, but big reductions in government payrolls shrank the net gains.

KCBS' Barbara Taylor Reports:

California still has the second-worst state unemployment rate in the nation, behind Nevada at 12.9 percent. The national rate in July dropped slightly to 9.1 percent.

A survey of California businesses in July counted 14.1 million payroll jobs, up 1.4 percent in a year.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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