March saw a small drop in Stanislaus County’s unemployment rate, according to the latest numbers from the Employment Development Department.

The unemployment rate in March was at 7.1 percent, down from the revised rate of 7.4 percent for February and below the year-ago estimate of 8.8 percent.

Every sector in Stanislaus County either posted job gains or remained steady in the month of March, according to the EDD data.

The Government sector added the most jobs for the month, with an estimated 500 new positions, the majority of which were in various school districts.

Farming and manufacturing added approximately 400 jobs in March, though both sectors are behind in jobs when compared to last year, according to the EDD. Farming was down by an estimated 400 positions, while manufacturing was behind the year ago rate by approximately 300 jobs.

The other sectors posting job growth in March were: Construction, Leisure and Hospitality, and Trade, Transportation, and Utilities, which all added about 200 jobs each. Professional and Business Services added an estimated 300 positions for the month. These sectors also have recorded job growth that is above the year ago estimates, according to the EDD.

Merced County had an unemployment rate of 10.2 percent for March, which is a drop from the 10.6 percent rate posted in February. San Joaquin County had a March rate of 6.6 percent, down from the 7.1 percent posted the month prior.

The unemployment rate in California was at 4.2percent, while the nation’s was at 4.1 percent for the same time period.
Turlock’s unemployment rate dropped to 5 percent in March, down from 5.3 percent in February. Denair’s rate declined from 6 percent in February to 5.7 percent in March. Hughson had a March rate of 5.9 percent, down slightly from the 6.2 percent posted in February. Keyes saw a drop in March from 14.4 percent to 13.9 percent. Ceres had an unemployment rate of 8 percent in March, down from the 8.6 percent in February.
The occupations with the most help wanted ads in Stanislaus County for March were: Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers – 612; Registered Nurses – 317; Retail Salespersons – 178; First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers – 133; Light Truck or Delivery Services Drivers – 104; Customer Service Representatives – 98; Maintenance and Repair Workers – 85; Teacher Assistants – 81; Driver/Sales Workers - 74; and Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners - 72.

The 10 companies that posted the most help wanted ads for March in Stanislaus County were: Tenet Healthcare Corporation – 177; Ceres Unified School District – 135; Sutter Health – 75; Modesto City Schools –71; E&J Gallo – 68; Turlock Unified School District – 67; Kaiser Permanente – 59; Robert Half International – 58; Autozone, Inc. – 53; and California State University System - 43.