The unemployment rate in Stanislaus County rose slightly in November, largely due to the end of the harvest season, according to the latest numbers from the Employment Development Department.

The unemployment rate for November was at 5.7 percent in Stanislaus County. The rate is slightly higher than the 5.4 percent for October, but below the year ago estimate of 6.5 percent.

In November, the County saw the farming sector decline by an estimated 1,800 positions and manufacturing drop by approximately 600 jobs, the EDD reported. Of that 600, 3.4 percent came from the manufacturing of nondurable goods and 1.7 percent came from food manufacturing.

The losses were offset to some extent by an uptick in the trade, transportation, and utilities sector, which reported 1,300 more jobs for the month. The majority of those jobs were in retail, as they increased the number of jobs for the holiday season. Clothing and clothing accessory stores made up 13.6 percent of the new jobs and general merchandise stores made up 9.6 percent.

All the sectors but one ended November with more jobs than the year-ago estimates. The lone exception in the County was the Information sector, which remained flat.

Merced County had a November unemployment rate of 6.7 percent, up from the 6.1 percent posted in October. San Joaquin County had an unemployment rate of 5.5 percent in November, a rise from the 5.2 percent posted in October.

California had an unemployment rate of 3.9 percent for the month, while the nation’s was at 3.5 percent for the same time period.

Turlock’s unemployment rate fell to 4.1 percent in November, down from 4.4 percent in October. Denair’s rate was at 4.6 percent in November, up from 4.4 percent in October. Hughson had a November rate of 4.7 percent, an increase from the 4.5 percent posted in October. Keyes saw a rise from 10.8 percent in October to 11.3 percent in November. Ceres had an unemployment rate of 7 percent in October, up from the 6.1 percent in October.

The occupations with the most help wanted ads in Stanislaus County for November were: Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers – 423; Registered Nurses – 346; Retail Salespersons – 254; First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers – 189; Customer Service Representatives — 139; First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers – 104; Security Guards – 95; Maintenance and Repair Workers – 78; Combined Food Preparation and Serving Workers, Including Fast Food — 77; and Light Truck or Delivery Services Drivers – 77.

The 10 companies that posted the most help wanted ads for November in Stanislaus County were: Conifer Health Solutions — 196; Tenet Healthcare Corporation – 194; Emanuel Medical Center — 102; Sutter Health – 88; memorial Medical Center, Modesto — 76; Modesto City Schools – 70; Ceres Unified School District – 61; Kaiser Permanente – 57; E & J Gallo Winery — 57; and Save Mart Supermarkets — 55.