Central Valley unemployment balloons

SACRAMENTO
March 11, 2010 12:01am

Some of California’s highest unemployment rates are in the Central Valley, according to county-level figures for January released Wednesday afternoon by the state Employment Development Department.

Every county in the region has an unemployment rate higher than the state average.

The unadjusted unemployment rate for California in January was 13.2 percent. For the nation, it was 10.6 percent.

Here are the JANUARY 2010 Central Valley unemployment rates, followed by December 2009’s, which are in parentheses. All are estimates:

• Butte County, 15.1 percent; (13.4 percent)

• Fresno County, 18.2 percent; (16.8 percent)

• Kern County, 17.1 percent; (15.8 percent)

• Kings County, 18.2 percent; (17.1 percent)

• Madera County, 16.6 percent; (15.4 percent)

• Merced County, 21.7 percent; (19.8 percent)

• Sacramento County, 13.1 percent; (12.2 percent)

• San Joaquin County, 18.4 percent; (17.1 percent)

• Stanislaus County, 18.9 percent; (17.5 percent)

• Tulare County, 18.3 percent; (17.5 percent)

• Yolo County 14.8 percent; (13.7 percent)

• Yuba County, 20.4 percent; (18.8 percent)

The state’s highest unemployment rate in January was in Colusa County where 27.4 percent of working adults were jobless. The state’s lowest rate was in Mono County where just 8.1 percent of the workforce of 10,190 were unemployed in January, the EDD says.

Here’s a more detailed look at some of the Valley’s metro areas, according to the EDD:

In Kern County, the only type of employment that saw an increase in January over the year before was “educational and health services,” with a net gain of about 400 jobs. The biggest job loss was in construction, down 3,500 jobs year-over-year.

In Butte County, the Chico metropolitan area added 600 manufacturing jobs and 100 in “financial activities,” the only two categories to show improvement over the year-before levels. The “mining, logging and construction” jobs category had the largest loss – 600 jobs.

In Fresno, between January 2009 and January 2010, total wage and salary employment declined by 12,200 jobs (down 3.7 percent). Nonfarm employment decreased by 12,600 jobs (down 4.4 percent), and farm employment increased by 400 jobs (up 1.0 percent).

Professional and business services reported the largest decrease of 3,200 jobs over the year, with losses scattered throughout the industry.

In Kings County, “government” shed 300 jobs year-over-year for the largest number of any job category. But manufacturing gained 900 jobs

Madera County saw gains in “educational and health services” and “leisure and hospitality” totaling 200 jobs but losses or flat employment in all other categories.

Merced County saw a total of 200 jobs added in “educational and health services” and “trade, transportation and utilities,” but a total of 2,800 jobs lost in all other job categories.

Stanislaus County saw no job gains of any type year over year. Its biggest single category loss was 1,400 jobs in the “trade, transportation and utilities” category.

Between January 2009 and January 2010, the total number of jobs in the Sacramento region fell by 34,500 or 4.03 percent.

• Construction lost 10,300 jobs, mostly in specialty trade contractors (down 7,500 jobs).

• Professional and business services declined by 8,300 jobs, primarily due to losses in administrative and support and waste management and remediation services (down 4,100 jobs) and professional, scientific, and technical services (down 3,900 jobs).

On the upside, government gained 3,400 jobs, leading regional job growth over the past year. Gains in local government (up 3,600 jobs) and federal government (up 300 jobs) offset losses in state government (down 500 jobs).

The only year-over-year gain was 200 jobs in the “other services” category in San Joaquin County. That compares to a net loss of 7,000 jobs in all other categories.

Tulare County saw a 300-job increase in “educational and health services,” but a combined loss of 4,200 other types of jobs.

In Yuba County, no job type gained and there were 1,200 jobs lost.

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