County’s Jobless Rate Up to 4.4% in February

Heavy rains muddied the county’s construction industry employment picture in February and post-Christmas layoffs hit the retail sector to boost Orange County’s jobless rate for the month to 4.4% from 3.7% in January, the state Employment Development Department’s Santa Ana division reported Thursday.

Despite the local rise in unemployment, Orange County continues to fare better than much of the country. Los Angeles County posted a 7.2% jobless rate for February and the seasonally unadjusted rates were 7.2% for the state and 7.3% for the nation.