September turned out to be a month of rebound for the local labor market, according to preliminary data provided by the State of California Employment Development Department (EDD).

Whether it was at the county, state or national level, unemployment numbers dropped compared to revised data from August.

The country’s unemployment rate dipped from 4.4% in August to 3.9% in September. During that same period, California’s rate dropped from 5.9% to 5.3%. At the county level, Stanislaus currently has approximately 15,700 people unemployed, about 1,900 less compared to August, posting a 6.3% rate heading into October. Merced County has a 7.8% rate with about 9,500 members of the labor force without work, which is roughly 1,600 less individuals than the month prior.

Contributing to the slight rebound in Stanislaus County were government jobs, as there were 700 local positions added with another 200 hired at the state level. Nevertheless, the industries that let go of the most workers in Stanislaus County were retail, hospitality and transportation and utilities, which each lost about 200 workers. 

In Merced County, their statistics were fueled by farming, as the industry added around 1,800 workers. Another 900 jobs were added in the county for various government positions. Those hires were good enough to compensate for industries like manufacturing, construction and private education and health services each letting go of 100 workers.

The health care and social assistance sector continues to be the top hiring industry in each county, with there currently being a combined 1,489 job postings online, according to the EDD database. The second most in-demand jobs are in retail, with a combined 1,046 openings. 
Those on the hunt for a job can find resources at www.edd.ca.gov/en/jobs.