County at "full" employment...Daily Press May, 20, 06, Inland Empire's Rate is lower then CA. @ 4.8% & US @ 4.5 %...

As of May 21'st the I.E. was at 'ful' Employment, I thought that was great information, since they keep saying that everything under President Bush is falling apart, this shows it is not. have a read....

BSRancher

County at ‘full’ employment

Inland Empire’s rate is lower than California, at 4.8 percent, and the United States, at 4.5 percent

By TATIANA PROPHET / Staff Writer

SAN BERNARDINO — The April unemployment rate was 4.3 percent in San Bernardino county, a level reached only twice in the last 23 years — both times over the holiday shopping season.

“This is the lowest April going back certainly beyond 1983, and I have a suspicion, going back to the late 1960s,” said John Husing, a Redlandsbased economist. “This is full employment.”

Full employment, Husing said, means that those who are jobless fall into two categories: the transitionally unemployed, or those who are temporarily between jobs, and those who have a difficult time working because of lack of skills, problems with speaking or reading, or a drug or criminal history.

Each group makes up about 2 percent of the labor force, meaning they total 4 percent. In times past, these groups have made up between 4 percent and 6 percent, Husing said.

“When you have a very low unemployment rate, you have very few people who’ve just dropped out,” he said. “Most people are looking.”

Nearly full employment is easy to spot in the High Desert, where hiring is brisk.

“The service sector is exploding,” said Husing, referring to the Victor Valley. “That’s everything from your lawyer to your CPA to your tax preparer, hair salon, bartenders. All of the service sector grows along with the population.”

David Fishman, vice president of Victorville-based executive recruitment firm ICR Inc., said cement and construction industries are very strong right now.

“I think we’re running at full steam across the board right now,” he said. “When it comes to clerical staffing, it’s probably the strongest it’s been, due to the influx of businesses here needing more professional people.”

The Inland Empire’s rate of 4.3 percent is lower than California, at 4.8 percent, and the United States, at 4.5 percent, showing the health of the local economy.

That translates to good news for commuters, said Husing. Now is the time for a resident of the Inland Empire who commutes to Los Angeles to find a job five minutes from home.

“You can quit the really long commutes,” Husing said. “And that’s because employers are desperate. If you go into a restaurant or drive through an industrial area, you’re going to see help wanted signs in practically every window right now.”

In the High Desert, people who want to shorten their commute might still have to go to Ontario or Rancho Cucamonga, Husing said, unless they work in a field that is especially in demand.