San Francisco's Employment Report: Things Could Be Much Shittier!

Dorothea Lange, San Francisco, 1933 -- from the SFMOMA collection

Back to the future?

In a case of debating whether the glass is half full or half empty -- but, upon further analysis, realizing the glass contains something nasty -- the state's Employment Development Department this morning released the latest job statistics for San Francisco and the rest of the state.

Woof. Not pretty.

With the numbers gathered for last month in hand, the EDD reports California has a whopping 10.9 percent unemployment rate -- that's right, we're a few out-of-work baristas from hitting 11 percent. Here's the good (or, let us rephrase: not as bad) news: San Francisco's unemployment rate of 8.3 percent is the sixth-lowest among the state's 58 counties. Good for us.

The state's Top Five: 1. Marin (6.8 percent); 2. Mono (7.6); 3. Orange (7.8); 4. San Luis Obispo (8.1); 5. Napa (8.5).

And yet, the bottom-dwellers feature unemployment percentages hearking to the Great Depression -- or present-day Gaza. Colusa County features a sickening 26.6 percent unemployment rate, and Imperial isn't far behind at 24.5 percent.

Other San Francisco fun facts:

• Between February of 2008 and last month, the total number of jobs in San Francisco and the surrounding counties fell by 30,700 -- that's 3.1 percent

• Construction lost 6,800 jobs, retail lost 6,200, financial activities dropped 5,100; and leisure and hospitality cut 4,100 -- "mainly at full-service restaurants and other food services";

• Private schools and health services posted a net gain of 1,600 jobs. Perhaps it's the plaid skirts...

View scads of depressing labor data here.