The unemployment rate in Stanislaus County stayed fairly steady in the month of July, according to the latest numbers from the Employment Development Department.
The unadjusted employment rate for the county in July came in at 9.4 percent, which is just slightly above the seasonally adjusted rate of 9.3 percent posted for June. The rate falls below the year-ago estimate of 11.1 percent.
The farming sector, along with that of government and educational and health services, saw job declines for the month, while manufacturing, construction, professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, and trade, transportation, and utilities all recorded job gains.
Leading the job growth was the manufacturing sector, which added an estimated 500 new positions for the month. Of that number, 6.5 percent of the jobs were specifically added in the food manufacturing area. For the year, the manufacturing sector remains down by approximately 2,400 positions, according to the EDD.
The trade, transportation, and utilities sector saw a job growth of about 400 positions in July, with the majority of the jobs in the retail sector. Jobs at clothing and clothing accessory stores saw a growth of 5.6 percent for the month. Transportation, warehousing and utilities saw a hiring increase of 4.1 percent for July, according to the EDD.
Construction added about 300 positions for the month, while leisure and hospitality grew by an estimated 200 new jobs. Professional and business services, which represents administrative, support and waste services, added an estimated 100 positions for the month.
The farming sector lost an estimated 700 positions in July as some crop harvests came to a close. As a whole the sector is up from last year’s number by about 100 positions.
Educational and health services lost an estimated 400 positions in July, while the government sector dropped approximately 1,300 positions. However, almost all of the job declines for the two sectors are in education and at local school districts, which brings people back as school resumes.
For July, Stanislaus County had a labor force of approximately 242,900 people, with 220,000 employed and 22,900 unemployed.
Merced County had an unemployment rate of 10.8 percent in July, up from 10.5 percent in June. San Joaquin County had a July unemployment rate of 8.9 percent, up from 8.6 percent in June.
California’s unemployment rate decreased to 6.2 percent in July, and nonfarm payroll jobs increased by 80,600 during the month. The U.S. unemployment rate was unchanged in July at 5.3 percent.
The unemployment rate in Turlock for July was at 8.4 percent, up from a rate of 8.3 percent in June. Denair had a rate of 5.4 percent, up from 5.3 percent recorded in June. Hughson had a July rate of 13.5 percent, an increase from the 13.4 percent recorded in June. Keyes saw their rate rise from 15.2 percent in June to 15.3 percent in July. Ceres had an unemployment rate of 10.1 percent in July, down from 10 percent in July.
The jobs and professions having the most help wanted ads in Stanislaus County for July were: Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers — 701; Registered Nurses — 518; Retail Salespersons — 173; Customer Service Representatives — 143; First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales — 132; Physical Therapists — 125; Graphic Designers — 120; Maintenance and Repair Workers, General — 117; Receptionists and Information Clerks — 112; and First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support — 111.
The 10 companies that posted the most help wanted ads for July in Stanislaus County were: Tenet Healthcare Corporation — 172; TruStaff — 131; Sutter Health — 88; Kaiser Permanente — 74; Modesto City Schools — 74; CTG - Computer Task Group — 69; Stanislaus County Office of Education — 68; Patterson Joint Unified School District — 60; Ceres Unified School District — 59; and Supplemental Health Care — 55.
