The Economic Development Department says Kern County’s unemployment rate increased fractionally – one-tenth of a percentage point – to 11.1 percent in March.

Rosendo Flores is a labor market analyst with the state and said more oilfield jobs were lost last month.

“We saw a decrease of 200 jobs from February to March,” he said. “So, this year, from January to March, we’ve lost 1,400 jobs.”

The biggest loser was agriculture, which lost another 8,800 jobs, while non-farm employment was up 2,800 jobs, Flores said.

State unemployment is at 6.5 percent.

– Anthony Pollreisz