Rare candor on CA joblessness — but not in Times or Bee, of course

With nearly one in five California adults who want to work full-time unable to find such a job, it should be obvious that unemployment is the biggest issue in the state. It explains why California has the highest poverty rate n the nation.

That it isn’t a bigger story is further direct confirmation that the complacent, union-centric, anti-free market worldview of the Sacramento political establishment pretty much sets the tone for what’s covered by the Sacramento media establishment. The only places one routinely sees commentary pointing out how terrible the state’s overall economy is? Pro-free-market newspaper editorial pages in San Diego and Orange County.

Maybe now that an organ of the left is pointing out how bad joblessness is in California, the issue will get some attention.

Low-wage, middle-wage workers hurting badly

OK, of course not, that’s not how Sacramento works. That’s reflected by the fact that the story about the new analysis is on the website of a Los Angeles area NPR affiliate — not in the Times or Bee.

“A report by the California Budget Project says the addition of 750,00 jobs over the past three years has still left much of the state in double-digit unemployment.

“‘California still has a job market in which too many workers can’t obtain full-time jobs that pay a good wage,’ said Luke Reidenbach, policy analyst with the non-partisan CBP and the report’s author. ‘California’s emerging recovery is not providing the mix of jobs needed for a robust economic rebound that benefits the full range of workers and their families.’

“Among the group’s findings: The share of unemployed Californians who have been seeking work for six months or longer is down only slightly from a record high, and stands at 43 percent. The report also found men have fared better than women. During the past three years of overall job growth, employment among prime-working-age men – ages 25 to 54 – has increased, as it dropped slightly for women in the same age group.”

“Other numbers: 1.3 million workers, or eight percent of all employed Californians can only find part-time jobs; 34 out of 58 counties have an average unemployment rate in the double digits. The lowest county unemployment rate is 5.1 percent in Marin County, and the highest is 24.5 percent in Imperial County.

“Due to recent gains, high-wage workers — those at the 80th percentile of California’s earnings distribution — have seen inflation-adjusted hourly earnings nearly return to their 2006 level. Meanwhile, inflation-adjusted wages of low-wage workers (those at the 20th percentile) and mid-wage workers (with earnings exactly in the middle of the distribution) have failed to catch up to pre-recession levels.”

Don’t hold your breath on seeing much of this in California’s mainstream media. The narrative is established: Jerry Brown has the Golden State on the rebound.

Snort. Not if you’re among the one in five California adults who want full-time work but can’t find it.