Stanislaus County saw a decline in the number of unemployed individuals during the month of April, according to the latest report from the Employment Development Department.

The unadjusted unemployment rate for April was at 9 percent, down from the revised rate of 9.5 percent in March and below the year-ago estimate of 9.9 percent.

Of the 11 sectors analyzed by the EDD, seven reported job growth for the month, three were flat, and one reported job losses. For the year, nine sectors are showing job growth in Stanislaus County. One sector was flat and one sector reported a decline in jobs. However, the sector that reported a year-over loss in jobs is the farming sector, which typically begins to report job increases during the summer months, according to EDD data.

For the month of April the farming sector, as well as construction, manufacturing, and professional and business services, all reported job growth of approximately 200 new positions each. Financial Services, leisure and hospitality, and other services all added about 100 new positions each for the month, according to the EDD.

Hiring in the sectors of government, information, and education and health services were all flat for the month.

The lone sector that showed a job decline in April was the trade, transportation, and utilities sector, which includes all retail jobs. The sector was down by an estimated 100 positions for the month, but is up by approximately 1,600 positions for the year. The majority of the job losses came from clothing and clothing accessory stores, according to the EDD.

Merced County had an unemployment rate of 11.2 percent, down from the 12.5 percent posted in March. San Joaquin County had an unemployment rate of 8.1 percent for April, down from 8.8 percent in March.

California had an April unemployment rate of 5.2 percent and the nation’s was at 4.7 percent for the same time period.

In the month of April Stanislaus County had a labor force of 243,000 people, of which 21,800 were unemployed, according to the EDD.

Turlock had an unemployment rate of 8.0 percent in April, down from the 8.6 percent posted in March. Denair had a rate of 5.1 percent, which is a decline from the 5.5 percent posted in March; Hughson had an April rate of 12.9 percent, down from the 13.8 percent posted in March; Keyes had a rate of 14.6 percent in April, down from the 15.6 percent in March; Ceres had an unemployment rate of 9.6 percent in April, down from the 10.3 percent in March.

The occupations with the most help wanted ads in Stanislaus County for April were: Registered Nurses – 480; Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers – 383; Retail Salespersons – 144; First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers – 126; First Line Supervisors of Food Preparations and Service Workers – 99; Physical Therapists – 97; Medical and Health Services Managers – 97; Occupational Therapists – 96; Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education – 88; and Speech-Language Pathologists – 87.

The 10 companies that posted the most help wanted ads for April in Stanislaus County were: The Hospitals of Providence – 171; Ceres Unified School District – 122; Kaiser Permanente – 99; Modesto City Schools – 96; Sutter Health – 87; Robert Half International – 76; California State University System – 76; Soliant – 74; Tenet Healthcare Corporation – 60; and Stanislaus County Office of Education – 56.