Stanislaus County’s jobless rate hits 6% in October as California’s rate also rises

Stanislaus County’s unemployment rate rose to 6% in October up from 4.9% a year ago, mirroring a similar rise statewide, according to California’s Employment Development Department.

California’s unemployment rate increased from 3.9% to 4.8% over the same 12 months. The EDD reported that unemployment remained steady nationwide. It was 3.4% in October 2022 compared with 3.6% this October.

“There is no specific reason. ... There are still jobs. There are still employers posting jobs,” EDD labor market researcher Juliet Moeur said about the rise in unemployment from October to October.

Stanislaus County added 6,300 jobs from October 2022 to this October while the number of people in its labor force grew by 4,100. The county had 247,100 people in its labor force (that includes the employed and those seeking employment) and 209,800 jobs as of October.

Moeur said that the county’s labor force includes people who live here but commute to jobs outside of the county. And the number of jobs in the county includes those held by people who live outside of the area.

The industries with the biggest job growth in Stanislaus County from October 2022 to this October included health care and social assistance (1,800 jobs), leisure and hospitality (1,100 jobs), local government educational services (1,000) and farming (900 jobs).

Four industries lost jobs: mining, logging and construction (500 jobs), manufacturing durable goods (200 jobs), professional and business services (200 jobs) and information (100 jobs.) Information includes jobs in software publishing and telecommunications.