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San Luis Obispo County’s unemployment rate soars to 13.7%

May 22, 2020

San Luis Obispo County’s unemployment rate more than tripled in April as the region lost approximately 1,800  jobs, the state Employment Development Department reported Friday.

Layoffs prompted by California’s shelter at home order have driven the county’s unemployment rate up to 13.7 percent in April, from 3.8 percent in March. In April 2019, the jobless rate was 2.6 percent.

Over the past month, significant job losses were seen in the leisure and hospitality services sector which lost 9,900 jobs. Recently, the county passed an executive order limiting hotel occupancy to 50 percent.

During the shelter at home order, most local hotels occupancy rates fell to below 20 percent. However, several coastal community hotels have had occupancy rates of over 50 percent.

And while some local residence fear out-of-town visitors will  bring higher numbers of coronavirus infections, Pismo Beach has had only had one confirmed coronavirus case in the past 30 days. During the pandemic, the county’s greatest number of confirmed cases, approximately 70 percent, have occurred in inland areas of the North County.

In April, 1,900 county residents lost jobs in the professional and businesses services sector, many of whom had worked at Mind and Body, which laid off more than 750 employees.

The third most impacted employment sector, health and education services, lost 1,800 jobs as many medical procedures were delayed and childcare facilities were closed in April.

San Luis Obispo County is ranked twelfth out of 58 California counties for lower numbers of unemployed workers. SLO County’s unemployment rate is lower than the national average of 14.4 percent and the state’s 16.1 percent rate.

In California, Marin County is ranked number one with an unemployment rate of 11.1 percent and Imperial County comes in on the bottom with an unemployment rate of 28 percent.


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While most viruses attack the body’s organ systems, producing cold/flu symptoms of varying degrees, we know from constant education that Covid -19 is different.


Covid-19 can infect people who have NO IDEA they’re infected. In fact, we’re told that most people who are infected do not know or have mild symptoms they just ignore. Unlike other viruses, Covid-19 attacks our freedom, not our bodies.


Thus, because Covid-19 lives and hides in our freedom and liberty….especially in and around places of business….the only way to fight the virus is to shut down the economy and tear down places of business that hide the virus.


People need to give up their freedom and means of making money in order to fight this virus. Nothing could be more important than destroying the small businesses and entrepreneurs of America. Nothing. We need to partner together with our state and local governments to stop these businesses and make sure they can’t return.


When unemployment hits 30% we can begin to have hope…..


1

I just checked 1629 job openings in SLO county on indeed.com ….. Folks might be staying home till 26 or 39 weeks of unemployment at 1000.00 a week runs out .


9

1,800 is bad, but imagine the carnage if we didn’t have so much government employment in SLO County.


See, we’re just fine here in our little taxpayer-funded bubble…what’s the problem with all those redneck Trump voters who wanna open up the economy, anyway?!


They should just do like the rest of us and shelter in their McMansions, drink wine, and post snarky stuff on social media all day. Getting paid while “working from home” is the bomb.


Hey, somebody write to the Tax Fairy to fill Uncle Newsom’s stockings, already!


29

You just did a pretty good description of SLO county. Kudos.


11

Too bad there weren’t that same number of job loses in the public sector, they all got to stay home and still got paid, now our leaders are crying that police and fire will have to be cut if we don’t give them more money. Start by cutting public sector administration jobs and compensation by at least 25%, then see where things stand.


51

Bingo! Well said! Like, man, what is this playa? You get a WAY above private economy secure high salary, secure health benes, and a secure colossal pension windfall too! Sumbuddy ought to be the new fiscal conservative Howard Jarvis, and ride this to Xcremento or the White House. A post-Trump GOP?


11

Try cutting the exorbitant wages of the Five Cities Fire Authority. Ain’t gonna happen.


19

With Fire Chief Stephen Lieberman at a $218,514 compensation for this area you are right plus with his nerve of him to demand his raise in the current financial environment shows he really cares more about himself than the community. The best thing to do would be to dissolve the FCFA and work with Cal Fire for service. With almost $1,500,000 of FCFA’s budget tried up in just 8 employees it is clear the time has come for the FCFA to end.


21

Why don’t we just privatize all fire services so they can send you their bill every month, and if you can’t afford it, then they fail to respond when your house catches on fire.


-4

“they all got to stay home and still got paid” I am not sure where you got that incorrect information but that is far from the truth.Some public sector employees have been furloughed just like the private sector. But the majority are still working making sure you still have all the services that are necessary to make your life comfortable. Some are working from home while also taking care of their family, some are now working in other positions such as the emergency operations center making sure that our essential workers have the supplies they need to continue doing their job to take care of us. Some like my husband who has been working almost 3 months straight 12-16 hours a day not only helping those essential workers but making sure that the community has access to COVID-19 testing and other necessary items. He use to be a private sector employee with had the same attitude you have. He has now come to realize that his life in the private sector was not as stressful as it is now. I am also still doing my job responding to calls out in the field. Its sad that you have so much hatred and disrespect for those people who make sure you have running water, waste disposal, functioning street lights, and many other services that you clearly take for granted. But my husband and I both realize that unlike you we know that we can come home at the end of the day (or his case the night) and realize that as public sector employees we have made a difference in someones life.


2