Stanislaus County adds 4,100 jobs in past year

The Northern San Joaquin Valley continues to add jobs, with much of the growth coming in Stanislaus County.

California’s Employment Development Department released figures Friday showing Stanislaus County’s unemployment rate was 7.5 percent, down from 7.9 percent a year ago. The September unemployment rate was 8.2 percent in Merced County, down from 8.3 percent a year ago, and the rate was 7.5 percent in San Joaquin County, down from the 7.6 percent rate a year ago.

The three counties added 7,500 jobs from September 2015 to September 2016, with Stanislaus accounting for 4,100 of the jobs, for a growth rate of 2.2 percent. The number of nonfarm jobs in the county grew by nearly 3 percent.

The industries with the biggest job growth in Stanislaus County included trade, transportation and utilities (1,000 jobs), educational and health services (1,200 jobs) and leisure and hospitality (1,200 jobs). Two industries lost jobs in the past year: manufacturing (down 500 jobs) and farming (down 600 jobs).

EDD labor market consultant Nati Martinez said 800 of the jobs gained in trade, transportation and utilities were in retail, with the rest of the gains in transportation and warehousing. Martinez said 1,100 of the jobs in educational and health services were in health care and what is called social assistance, such as providing services for the elderly. The educational jobs in this category are in the private sector, such as for-profit technical schools. But local public schools added 600 jobs in the past year, accounting for all of the growth in local government jobs.

Martinez said Stanislaus County has seen solid job growth in the past year.

Merced County added 1,000 jobs in the past year. The county added 500 jobs in the categories of educational and health services and leisure and hospitality while losing the same number of jobs in manufacturing and professional and business services. The job growth came in the public sector, with 500 jobs added in state education and 500 in local government.

San Joaquin County added 2,400 jobs in the past year. While the county lost 3,100 jobs in farming, manufacturing and professional and business services, it added jobs in eight other categories, including leisure and hospitality (1,700 jobs); government (1,200 jobs); and trade, transportation and utilities (1,000 jobs).

The EDD reported California’s unemployment rate was 5.5 percent in September, the same rate as July and August. The state’s unemployment rate was 6 percent in September 2015.

This story was originally published October 21, 2016 at 6:27 PM with the headline "Stanislaus County adds 4,100 jobs in past year."