HispanicBusiness

California's unemployment rate fell to 11.1 percent in December, state officials said today, a drop of two-tenths of a percent.

It's the lowest statewide unemployment rate since April 2009, when it was 10.9 percent. The numbers suggest continued improvement in the job market.

But payroll job growth, which is calculated from a different survey and is considered a more reliable barometer, was less encouraging. Only 10,700 jobs were added during the month, a relatively modest figure.

On the other hand, the Employment Development Department said it had made a huge upward revision in November's payroll numbers, to a new total of 24,700. And job growth has been picking up momentum the last few months.

Overall, economists said they were encouraged about the trends in the California job market.

"This makes me more confident that it's not going to go away," said Howard Roth, the state's chief economist. "I think it's the real thing."

Roth added that the growth is far from robust, however. "It's got to get a lot faster than this, but it looks like it has a good foundation," he said.