Stanislaus County sees jobless rate fall

Stanislaus County’s unemployment rate was 9.4 percent in January, down from 11 percent from a year ago. The county also added 4,700 jobs in the past year, with many of the gains coming in retail, restaurants, bars and hotels.

The state Employment Development Department released the numbers Friday. It also reported California’s jobless rate was 5.7 percent in January, down from 6.8 percent a year ago, and the state added nearly 445,000 jobs in the past year.

The January unemployment rates for Stanislaus County and California were higher than December’s, but officials said that is to be expected as seasonal holiday jobs end.

The county saw big gains in the past year in the categories of trade, transportation and utilities (1,500 jobs), leisure and hospitality (1,200 jobs) and educational and health services (1,300 jobs). EDD representative Nati Martinez said most of the growth in trade, transportation and utilities was in retail jobs. She said leisure and hospitality includes restaurants, bars, hotels and motels.

The county lost 400 government jobs in the past year, from 26,800 to 26,400. Martinez said all of the losses were in the local government sector, which includes cities, county government and public schools. But the government sector remains one of the bigger employers in Stanislaus County.

Elsewhere in the Northern San Joaquin Valley, Merced County had a January unemployment rate of 12.8 percent, down from 14.2 percent a year ago. And San Joaquin County had a January unemployment rate of 8.9 percent, down from 10.5 percent a year ago.

EDD reported San Joaquin County added 8,800 jobs in the past year, and Merced County added 1,900 jobs, including 1,400 jobs in manufacturing.

This story was originally published March 4, 2016 at 6:53 PM with the headline "Stanislaus County sees jobless rate fall."