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California’s jobless rate improved in September, state officials said Friday — but the slightly better 12.2 percent rate was triggered more by people who abandoned the hunt for a job and less by a brighter employment picture.

Still, the statewide September jobless rate of 12.2 percent was a modest improvement over the August rate of 12.3 percent. The jobless rates during the two months were the worst in nearly 70 years. In December 1940, the jobless rate in California was 12.6 percent, the Employment Development Department said.

At best, it appears California may be at or near the bottom of its lengthy slide into an economic quagmire. Yet even that prospect hasn’t helped many people who are out of work.

“It’s extremely hard to find a job,” said Sara Quisenberry, a Livermore resident who is willing to take just about any full-time work. “I am going on non-stop interviews. I have been doing this for the last few months, but I haven’t had any luck yet.”

Quisenberry has worked in restaurants and as a gymnastics teacher.

“I will work at anything to get off unemployment,” Quisenberry said. “I want full time work, but I will take a part-time job if it becomes available.”

It’s the longest stretch she can recall being out of work. Other workers painted a similarly bleak picture.

“This is the worst downturn I have ever experienced in my working career,” said Berkeley resident John Lynch, who has worked as a carpenter

for 25 years. “Maybe it’s picking up a little bit, but it’s been really horrific.”

A few years ago, when the construction market was hot, Lynch remembers getting five calls a day to undertake a carpentry job.

“Now if I get one call a day, that’s good,” Lynch said. “Some weeks, I don’t even get a single call.”

“California remains in recession,” said Stephen Levy, director of the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy.

Economists believe the modest easing of the jobless rate was due to negative trends in the economy. They noted that California lost 39,300 payroll jobs during September.

“There are a lot of discouraged workers out there,” said Jon Haveman, economist and co-owner of Beacon Economics. “The unemployment rate decline is definitely due to people who are dropping out of the labor force. They have given up on looking for work.”

During September, the Bay Area lost nearly 11,000 payroll jobs. The job cuts occurred in every part of the region, according to seasonally adjusted estimates from the EDD and Beacon Economics:

n”‚The East Bay lost 1,600 jobs.

n”‚The San Mateo-San Francisco-Marin region lost 1,500 jobs.

n”‚The South Bay lost 6,400 jobs.

n”‚Solano County was down by 850 jobs.

n”‚San Joaquin County lost 400 jobs.

The California industries that were hit the hardest by job losses were construction, manufacturing, information, financial activities, and professional and business services. The biggest monthly decline came in construction, which lost 14,100 jobs.

“Construction continues to be a major story,” said Michael Bernick, a former state government labor official and currently a Fellow in Workforce Development with the Milken Institute. “The free-fall continues.”

Trade, transportation and utilities, along with natural resources and mining, added jobs during September in the state.

In the East Bay, the weakest industries are construction, retail and manufacturing of durable goods such as computers, electronic equipment, steel and transportation items.

During the 12 months that ended in September, construction lost 8,300 jobs, retail lost 6,000 jobs, durable goods manufacturing lost 4,800 jobs, restaurants and drinking establishments shed 3,300 jobs and employment services lost 2,300 positions.

Over the same one-year period, the strongest East Bay sectors were: health care, which added 600 jobs; motion picture and sound recording, up 400; professional, scientific and technical services, up 300; manufacturing of oil, chemicals, coal and other non-durable goods, up 200; and utilities, which added 100 jobs.

Job seekers were skeptical about pronouncements by economists and analysts that the nation’s recession has ended.

“If the recession was over, I would have a job,” Quisenberry said.

George Avalos can be phoned at 925-977-8477