BY LEON WORDEN / FOR SCVNEWS.COM
Santa Clarita’s unemployment rate rolled back to 6.3 percent in February after hitting 6.7 percent in January, according to data from the California Employment Development Dept.

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January’s half-point spike from December, when Santa Clarita’s jobless rate was 6.2 percent, reflected the typical slowdown in motion picture work at the beginning of the year and the curtailment of winter holiday jobs.

During February, the biggest growth sector across Los Angeles County was the motion picture industry, which added back 15,700 jobs.

February’s figure for Santa Clarita was more in line with the positive direction the labor market has been moving locally. The unadjusted 6.3 rate reflects an improvement of more than a full point from the same time last year, when Santa Clarita’s jobless rate was 7.4 percent.

Across Los Angeles County, the adjusted employment rate dipped to 10.3 percent in February from 10.4 percent in January and 11.4 percent in February 2012.

Figures for both the state and nation reflected a 0.2 percent improvement on the month, to 9.6 percent and 7.7 percent respectively. The rates were 10.8 percent and 9.3 percent a year earlier.

In addition to motion picture and sound recording, professional and business services grew by 10,500 jobs across Los Angeles County during February, while private education and health services added 6,700, leisure and hospitality added 5,300, government (including public schools) added 5,200, financial services added 1,500 and manufacturing added 500.

Losers in Los Angeles County were the trade-transportation-utilities sector (down 6,000), construction (down 900), other services (down 300) and mining (down 100).

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