The unemployment rate in Stanislaus County saw a slight rise in December, according to the latest report from the Employment Development Department.

The unemployment rate for the county in December was at 6.8 percent, which is an increase from the revised rate of 6.2 percent posted in November, but below the year-ago estimate of 8.2 percent.

All but one sector in Stanislaus County recorded job losses or remained flat for the month. The only sector to post an increase for the month was the Educational and Health Services sector, which added an estimated 400 positions in December. Within that sector, all the added jobs were in the Health Care and Social Assistance fields, according to the data from the EDD.

The sector that posted the biggest decline in jobs for the county was the Farming sector, which lost approximately 1,400 positions for the month. The loss was followed by declines in Government (300); Leisure and Hospitality (300); Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (200); Mining, Logging, and Construction (100); Manufacturing (100); and Professional and Business Services (100).

Stanislaus County had a December labor force of 244,300 people, with an estimated 227,700 employed and 16,600 unemployed, according to the EDD.

Merced County had an unemployment rate of 9.2 percent in December, which is up from the 7.8 percent recorded in November. San Joaquin County had an unemployment rate of 6.6 percent for December, up from the 6.6 percent posted in November.

California had an unemployment rate of 4.2 percent and the nation’s was at 3.9 percent for the same time period.

Turlock’s unemployment rate grew to 6.1 percent in December, up from 5.5 percent in November. Denair’s rate was at 4 percent for the month, which was an increase from the 3.7 percent posted in November. It was also the lowest rate posted for all of Stanislaus County. Hughson had a December rate of 9.8 percent, which was a rise from the 9 percent posted in November. Keyes had a rate of 11.2 percent in December, which was an increase from the 10.2 percent posted in November. Ceres had an unemployment rate of 7.3 percent in December, up from the 6.7 percent in November.

The occupations with the most help wanted ads in Stanislaus County for December were: Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers – 575; Registered Nurses – 405; Retail Salespersons – 142; Light Truck or Delivery Services Drivers – 138; First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers – 122; Maintenance and Repair Workers – 107; Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand – 98; First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers – 83; Teacher Assistants – 83; and Security Guards – 68.

The 10 companies that posted the most help wanted ads for December in Stanislaus County were: Tenet Healthcare Corporation – 161; Ceres Unified School District – 105; Kaiser Permanente – 90; Sutter Health – 88; Robert Half International – 80; E&J Gallo – 78; Modesto City Schools – 60; Starbucks – 56; California State University System – 51; and Patterson Joint Unified School District – 47.