LOS ANGELES — For the past two months, Carol Huff has been tirelessly searching for a job, with no luck. 

“It’s just one of those things where you can look, look, look, and it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re going to get looked at,” Huff said, reflecting on her relentless job hunt.

Huff’s situation changed drastically in July when she was laid off from her position as a contracted clerk at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Orange County. The layoff was unexpected and left her scrambling to find new employment.

“It was a great job. It made you feel like you were doing something for people who were just trying to make their lives better,” Huff recalls.

Since then, her search for a new job has been challenging and time-consuming.

“It takes all day. I’ve read that when you’re unemployed, you should consider your job to be looking for a job, and that should be your eight hours a day. And believe me, it takes a good chunk of your day to look for jobs,” she added.

And without a job or medical insurance, Huff is now relying on her savings to make ends meet.

“I’m having to use all my savings to pay my bills and stay alive,” she said, highlighting the financial strain many unemployed Californians are experiencing.

Huff’s story is one of many in California, a state that has seen its unemployment rate hold steady at 5.2% for three consecutive months — the highest in the nation, tied with Nevada. The data was released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Economist Ryan Patel points to inflation and shifting corporate strategies as contributing factors to the ongoing unemployment crisis.

“We’re seeing the unemployment numbers as they are because companies don’t want to be in the red going into the fall. They’re choosing to react quickly rather than be bloated and heavy-loaded, which forces them to make tough decisions. Corporate strategies have shifted compared to past years when facing economic obstacles,” Patel explains.

“What does it mean if unemployment rises? People spend less, they can’t pay their debts, and with rising consumer prices, they struggle to afford basic needs. That creates a domino effect when there’s no trust in the economy,” Patel notes.