The unemployment rate in Stanislaus County rose slightly in July as several sectors reported declines in jobs for the month, according to the latest report from the Employment Development Department.

The unemployment rate for the county was at 8 percent in July, which is up from a revised rate of 7.8 percent posted in June. The rate is below the year-ago estimate of 8.5 percent.

Four sectors reported job declines for the month that were 300 or larger, according to the EDD data. The Educational and Health Services sector had the largest decline, with 700 job losses for the month of July. The majority of those jobs (6.3 percent) were in educational services. Other sectors posting job declines for the month were: farm (600), Government (300), and Trade, Transportation and Utilities (300).

Three sectors did record job growth for the month of July, with Manufacturing leading at 1,100 jobs. It was followed by Mining, Logging, and Construction (400) and Leisure and Hospitality (300).

The unemployment rate in Merced County was at 9.7 percent, which is up from the 9.4 percent posted in June. San Joaquin County had a July unemployment rate of 7.7 percent, up from the 7.3 percent posted the month prior.

California had an unemployment rate of 5.4 percent in July and the nation’s was at 4.6 percent for the same time frame.

Turlock’s unemployment rate rose to 7.1 percent in July, up from 7 percent in June. Denair’s rate was at 4.7 percent for the month, the same rate that was posted for June. Hughson had a July rate of 11.5 percent, which was an increase from the 11.3 percent posted in June. Keyes had a rate of 13 percent in July, which was a rise from the 12.8 percent posted in June. Ceres had an unemployment rate of 8.5 percent in July, up from the 8.4 percent in June.

The occupations with the most help wanted ads in Stanislaus County for July were: Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers – 592; Registered Nurses – 522; Maintenance and Repair Workers – 149; First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers – 140; Retail Salespersons – 127; Customer Service Representatives – 93; First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving – 91; Teacher Assistants – 86; Light Truck or Delivery Services Drivers – 83; and Laborers and Freight, Stock and Material Movers by Hand – 76.

The 10 companies that posted the most help wanted ads for July in Stanislaus County were: Tenet Healthcare Corporation – 180; Sutter Health – 118; E&J Gallo – 91; Trustaff – 75; Robert Half International – 71; Ceres Unified School District – 71; Soliant – 62; Modesto City Schools – 61; Supplemental Health Care – 55; and Starbucks – 55.