Orange County continued to lose jobs in May this year, in the same way as the worst of the 1990s recession, thanks to the ongoing retail slump, said the state Employment Development Department. It lost 71,100 non-farm jobs last month from a year earlier, a 4.7 percent decline. In May, the county’s unemployment rate was 8.6 percent, which is up from a revised 8.4 percent in April and 4.7 percent a year earlier.

The retailers cut 10,400 jobs in the past twelve months, followed by wholesalers, warehouse operators and distribution companies with nearly 9,000 job losses. May’s total number of jobs lost matches the worst seen during the last major recession in the U.S. in the early 1990s.

May accounted for the fourth straight month when Orange County has lost more than 70,000 jobs on a yearly basis. But, the month’s losses were down from April, when the county lost 72,600 jobs, which is the monthly high so far for 2009.

From April to May, Orange County added 300 jobs for a total workforce of 1.4 million people. The monthly job gain was contributed by hotels and others hiring for the summer. Sectors like business services and manufacturing declined in May. Government, which had been a source of hiring for much of the past year, interestingly saw a decline of 500 workers from April to May.

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