After two straight months of falling unemployment rates across the region, state and nation, numbers are back on the rise, according to recent preliminary data provided by the State of California Employment Development Department (EDD).

In June, the national unemployment rate rose from 3.7% in May to 4.3% in June, while the rate increased from 4.6% to 5.3% in California. Stanislaus and Merced counties each saw major job loss during that time. 

In June, Stanislaus County’s rate went from 6.2% to 7.1%, meaning that there are roughly 17,400 people without work, an increase of about 2,100. Meanwhile, Merced County’s rate spiked from 8.7% in May to 9.4% in June, translating to about 11,400 jobless individuals, an increase of about 900.

The statistics are a stark contrast to April and May, months that posted falling unemployment rates across the board. Prior to those two months, unemployment rates had increased for five consecutive months.

Over 1,900 of those people without work in Stanislaus County during the month of June were from Turlock, according to the EDD, while Hughson had about 300 people without work. The towns of Denair, Hilmar and Keyes each reported around 100 individuals without employment.

The industry in Stanislaus County that saw the most job loss in June was the local government education sector, which let go of 400 workers. The health care and social assistance and the administrative support sectors each lost 100 workers in the month. The loss of 100 health care and social assistance workers is a bit unusual considering that there are more than 1,700 online job postings for careers in those fields as of Tuesday night.

Merced County paints a slightly different picture. While the region suffered from the farming and state government education industries each dropping 100 workers, a major dent was inflicted by the fact that their labor force decreased by 600 people.

Aside from health care and social assistance jobs, there is also a high demand for retail workers, as there are currently 710 postings in Stanislaus County and another 204 in Merced County. The same goes for manufacturing jobs, as there are 553 openings in Stanislaus and 179 in Merced. 

Those on the hunt for a job can find resources at www.edd.ca.gov/en/jobs.