Stanislaus County’s February unemployment rate unchanged at 9.4%

Stanislaus County’s unemployment remained fixed at 9.4 percent in February compared with the prior month, according to data released Friday by the state Employment Development Department.

That’s a 1.4 percent decrease in the county’s jobless number compared with last year. The unemployment rate was 5.5 percent statewide in February, and 4.9 percent nationwide, the numbers show.

Stanislaus County saw total growth of 600 jobs for all industries in February over the prior month. Nati Martinez, EDD labor market consultant for the Modesto area, said that’s abnormal for this time of year, during which the average growth usually ranges around 100 to 200 jobs. Most of that countywide increase was due to the leisure and hospitality industry, which grew by 500 jobs in February.

Although a specific breakdown was not available Friday regarding those 500 leisure and hospitality jobs, Martinez said those jobs are normally at businesses related to arts and entertainment, recreation, accommodations and food services.

“We will have revisions next month, and we will see whether that growth holds or not,” Martinez said.

Stanislaus County lost 500 jobs in the trade, transportation and utilities sector from January to February. Martinez said job declines in that sector are normal for that period, due to seasonal retail layoffs that begin in January.

The county has added 5,400 non-farm jobs since February last year – a growth level of more than 3 percent, Martinez said. The largest slice of that increase was 1,600 leisure and hospitality jobs added during that 12-month period.

“We are on better ground with an additional 1,600 (jobs) in that industry,” Martinez said.

Regionally, in Merced County, the unemployment numbers dipped slightly to 12.6 percent in February, compared with 12.7 percent the prior month and 13.9 percent at the same time last year. Merced County added 2,200 jobs in the past year, according to the EDD data.

San Joaquin County reported an 8.8 percent unemployment rate in February, compared with 8.9 percent in January and 10.1 percent at the same time last year.

This story was originally published March 18, 2016 at 6:20 PM with the headline "Stanislaus County’s February unemployment rate unchanged at 9.4%."