By Mike Maciag | Governing magazine
The U.S. Department of Labor released its first report Tuesday estimating state employment for 2015, providing hints at where the recovery may be accelerating.
A total of 39 states reported job growth in January, while about half of states recorded declines in their unemployment rates. California added the most jobs for the month (+67,300), followed by Ohio (+25,100) and Michigan (+24,200). In terms of percentage change, Idaho saw its payrolls swell by 1.4 percent — by far the largest increase of any state.
Meanwhile, three states registered monthly job losses that the Labor Department considered to be statistically significant: Virginia (-10,900), Louisiana (-7,500) and Maine (-3,400).
