January unemployment rate rises

The San Diego County unemployment rate was 5.8 percent in January, up from 5.5 percent in December, according to the state Employment Development Department. However, the rate was down from the 7.2 percent of a year earlier. Non-farm jobs dropped 20,100 in the month.

Much of the job loss was seasonal — people losing retail jobs they had held during the Christmas shopping season. Retail trade jobs were down 9400, accounting for almost half the job losses. However, the county lost jobs in leisure and hospitality, government, professional and business services, education and health services, manufacturing and information.

The data came out a little later than usual, partly because the federal Department of Labor was revising its database, as it does annually.