State unemployment rate drops to 9.6%; employers add 41,200 jobs

California's economic growth revved up in February as employers added 41,200 jobs, one of the highest monthly gains since the Great Recession ended nearly four years ago.

The payroll gains helped push the unemployment rate down to 9.6% from 9.8% in January, according to data released Friday by the state Employment Development Department.

The growth in net new jobs, buoyed by increased consumer spending, was another positive sign for a state that has steadily gained jobs over the last year, hitting a monthly high of 74,000 in January 2012. Last month, only Texas outpaced California in job creation.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-california-jobs-20130330,0,4312739.story