By Leon Worden/SCVNEWS.com

Santa Clarita’s jobless rate fell for the fourth consecutive month to 7.1 percent in November, compared to 7.3 percent a month earlier.

It’s more than a full percentage point improvement since July, when the rate stood at 8.2 percent. The job gains mirrored those of the county, state and nation, which saw similar month-to-month and year-over-year improvement in November.

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Across Los Angeles County, unemployment stood at 11.9 percent in November, down from 12.2 percent in October and 13 percent in November 2010, mostly due to seasonal growth in retail trade for the holidays.

The trade, transportation and utilities sector added 14,000 jobs in L.A. County during November, the bulk of them – 13,300 – coming in retail trade. Of those, 6,300 positions were added in general merchandise stores and 4,100 in apparel shops.

The government sector, which includes public education, added 2,700 jobs in L.A. County during November. Private education added another 2,200.

Health care, information, finance and miscellaneous services posted minimal gains across the county. Mining was flat.

Losers in L.A. County were professional and business services, which cut 4,400 jobs from payrolls, 80 percent of them in administrative, support and waste services.

Manufacturing cut out 3,600 jobs in November, leisure and hospitality lost 2,000 and construction trimmed 200.

California’s November unemployment rate improved by 0.4 percentage points, falling to 11.3 percent. The nation’s jobless figure improved by the same margin to 8.6 percent.