By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
End of harvest brings increase in unemployment
labor
Merced County total employment grew 3.99%, the fastest among the San Joaquin Valley’s eight counties in 2021. Stanislaus County total employment grew the second fastest at 3.56%.

The unemployment rate saw a rise in November in Stanislaus County, largely spurred by a drop in the farming and manufacturing sector, according to the latest release from the Employment Development Department.

Stanislaus County’s unemployment rate for November came in at 5.2 percent, up from a revised 4.9 percent in October and slightly below the year-ago average of 5.6 percent.

The rise in unemployment largely came from a drop in the sectors centered around the harvest season for various crops grown locally. The farming sector dropped by an estimated 1,500 jobs and the manufacturing sector declined by approximately 900 positions. The majority of the losses in manufacturing came in food production jobs, according to the EDD.

Other sectors that recorded declines in jobs were: Professional and Business Services (200); Mining, Logging and Construction (100) and Other Services (100).

Only two sectors in Stanislaus County reported job growth in the month of November. The Trade, Transportation and Utilities sector added 1,300 jobs during the month, with most of those jobs coming in clothing and general merchandise stores bulking up staffing for the holiday season, according to the EDD data. The other sector to add jobs for the month was Educational and Health Services, which added about 200 jobs, the EDD reported.

Merced County had an unemployment rate of 6.5 percent in November, up from the 5.8 percent posted in October. San Joaquin County had an unemployment rate of 5.3 percent, up slightly from the 5 percent posted in October. California’s unemployment came in at 3.7 percent for November and the nation’s was at 3.3 percent for the same time frame.

Turlock’s unemployment rate rose to 4.1 percent in November, up from 3.9 percent in October. Denair’s rate was 2.9 percent in November, up from 2.7 percent in October. Hughson had a November rate of 5.3 percent, which was an increase from the 5 percent posted in October. Keyes saw a rise from 6.6 percent in October to 7.1 percent in November. Ceres had an unemployment rate of 6.3 percent in November, up from 5.7 percent in October.

The companies posting the most help wanted ads in Stanislaus County for November were: Tenet Healthcare Corporation - 245; Yosemite Community College District - 147; Emanuel Medical Center - 104; Sutter Health - 102; E. & J. Gallo Winery – 77; Ceres Unified School District – 74; Memorial Medical Center, Modesto - 71; California State University System – 60; Save Mart Supermarkets – 68; and Kaiser Permanente – 57.

The positions with the most help wanted ads in Stanislaus County in November were: Registered Nurses - 299; Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers - 269; Retail Salespersons - 231; First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers - 204; Customer Service Representatives - 109; Stock Clerks, Sales Floor - 104; Stock Clerks- Stockroom, Warehouse, or Storage Yard – 104. Maintenance and Repair Workers, General - 101; Security Guards - 95; and First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers – 90.