State job loss

For the first time since last spring, the state reported a net loss in the number of jobs last month. The LA Times has the story Builders stopped hiring last month. They needed 9,400 fewer workers in March, the second-biggest monthly drop in construction workers since 1995, the state Employment Development Department reported. It's possible that this tumble, which was largely responsible for last month's overall net drop of 10,800 payroll jobs, is a bad omen for the state. But economists pointed out that it also has been raining a lot, which might be a mitigating factor. Construction slows in wet weather, and so does construction hiring. Is construction in a tailspin or just suffering from a rain delay? "That's the $64,000 question," said Howard Roth, chief economist for the state Finance Department. But he added that it was logical that the drop was prompted by more than weather. "We've already seen a slowing in home sales, and we've already seen a slowing in [construction] permits," Roth said. "The next step would be to see some slowdown in construction jobs."