The unemployment rate in Stanislaus County took a slight dip in July and remains below the year-ago estimates, according to the latest report from the Employment Development Department.

The unemployment rate for Stanislaus County in July was at 8.9 percent, down from a revised rate of 9.1 posted in June and below the year-ago estimate of 9.5 percent.

The government and farming sectors were the two areas to post job declines for the month of July, according to the EDD data. The government sector showed a decline of approximately 1,100 positions, about which 11.8 percent were from state government education agencies and 6.2 percent from local education districts. Historically almost all of these job losses return to the workforce when schools resume, according to the EDD.

The farming sector posted a drop of approximately 600 positions for the month and is down by an estimated 400 positions for the year-over numbers. Typically, the sector sees an influx of seasonal jobs when the fall harvest season gets underway.

The sector with the largest job growth for the month of July in Stanislaus County was manufacturing, which added approximately 800 positions for the month. Of those jobs, 6.3 percent were in food manufacturing. For the year the sector is down by an estimated 200 positions, according to the EDD.

Other sectors posting job growth for July were: Construction (300), Trade, Transportation and Utilities (100), and Professional and Business Services (100).

Stanislaus County’s labor force in July was estimated at 247,800 with approximately 22,200 unemployed.

Merced County had an unemployment rate of 10.5 percent, down from 10.6 in June. San Joaquin County had an unemployment rate of 8.5 percent, up slightly from 8.3 percent posted in June.

California had an unemployment rate of 5.9 percent in July and the nation’s was at 5.1 percent for the same time frame.

Turlock had an unemployment rate of 8 percent in July, down from the 8.2 percent posted in June. Denair had a rate of 5.1 percent, which is a drop from the 5.2 percent posted in June. Hughson had a July rate of 12.8 percent, down from the 13.1 percent posted in June. Keyes had a rate of 14.6 percent in July, down from the 14.9 percent in June. Ceres had an unemployment rate of 9.6 percent in July, down from the 9.8 percent in June.

The occupations with the most help wanted ads in Stanislaus County for July were: Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers – 452; Registered Nurses – 431; Retail Salespersons – 131; First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers – 121; Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping – 99; Occupational Therapists – 85; Light Truck and Delivery Services Drivers – 83; Security Guards – 83; Teacher Assistants – 81; and Maintenance and Repair Workers – 79.

The 10 companies that posted the most help wanted ads for July in Stanislaus County were: West Suburban Medical Center – 188; The Hospitals of Providence – 141; Modesto City Schools – 90; Sutter Health – 89; Stanislaus County Office of Education – 66; Tenet Healthcare Corporation – 62; Ceres Unified School District – 56; California State University System – 55; Kaiser Permanente – 53; and Robert Half International – 52.