By Leon Worden/SCVNEWS.com

Santa Clarita’s employment picture continued to improve in September as the local jobless rate fell to 7.6 percent from 7.8 percent in August and 8.2 percent in July.

At 88,300, Santa Clarita has the fourth largest labor force in Los Angeles County – and the best jobless rate among the top four. The others are the city of Los Angeles (13.5 percent unemployed), Long Beach (13.4 percent) and Glendale (10.7).

Locally, tiny Acton and vicinity posted a 9 percent unemployment rate as 100 of the reporting area’s 1,200 workers were looking for a job, according to figures from the California Employment Development Department.

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Los Angeles County posted a 12.4-percent unemployment rate in September. It was a 0.1-point improvement from 12.5 percent in August, driven largely by the return to work of 14,000 employees in public education and 1,600 in county government. Those gains were partially offset by a loss of 2,600 city government jobs across the county.

Other sectors showing gains throughout Los Angeles County were professional and business services (up 6,400); trade, transportation and utilities (up 3,700, including 3,400 in retail trade); leisure and hospitality (up 3,600); construction (up 1,200) and other services (up 100).

Countywide losses were recorded in information (down 1,600), manufacturing (down 1,500) and financial activities (down 1,300).

Year over year, the county’s jobless rate improved 0.5 percent from 12.5 percent in September 2010 as the private education and health sectors added a combined 14,500 workers to payrolls and public education added 14,900.

California’s jobless rate fell to 11.9 percent from 12.1 percent in August and 12.5 percent in September 2010. The state’s biggest percentage gainers over the year were information (up 5 percent), construction (up 4.2 percent), and business and professional services (up 3.8 percent). Losers were agriculture (down 2 percent), financial services (down 0.9 percent) and miscellaneous services (down 0.4 percent).

The nation’s jobless rate was unchanged at 9.1 percent.