California's unemployment rate drops slightly

California's unemployment rate fell slightly in November, another sign that a recovery is underway, even as the U.S. state shed jobs from its payrolls, according to figures released on Friday.

The state's jobless rate fell to 12.3 percent in November, down from October's 12.5 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said.

Still, California cut 10,200 jobs from its payrolls in November, a month after adding jobs for the first time since April 2008, said the bureau.

The unemployment rate in the state was 8.3 percent a year ago. California has lost 617,000 jobs since November 2008, the bureau said.

California is one of 36 U.S. states that saw unemployment rates decline in November, the bureau said.

The state still has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, tied with Nevada and South Carolina at 12.3 percent. Only Michigan and Rhode Island had higher unemployment rates in November.

Source: Xinhua