The first of the year brought a slight increase to the ranks of unemployed people in Stanislaus County, according to the latest release from the Employment Development Department.

The January unemployment rate came in at 8.9 percent, up from a revised rate of 8.2 percent posted in December. The rate is below the year-ago estimate of 9.6 percent, according to the EDD.

Several sectors in Stanislaus County posted job losses in January with Trade, Transportation, and Utilities leading the pack, with an estimated 1,400 less jobs. The EDD report shows 13 percent of the job losses were at clothing and accessories stores and 9 percent came from general merchandise stores. However, for the year over, the sector has posted an overall job gain of 1,400 positions, according to the EDD.

The Mining, Logging, and Construction sector in Stanislaus County posted a loss of approximately 400 positions in January. Farming had the third most job losses at an estimated 300 positions, followed by Manufacturing at 200 and Leisure and Hospitality, also with an estimated 200 job losses. Of those sectors, only Manufacturing is showing an overall job decline when reviewing the year over numbers. Manufacturing is down by approximately 100 positions, while Leisure and Hospitality is up by around 500 positions, Mining, Logging, and Construction has gained about 100, and Farming is up by about 1,400 overall, according to the EDD.

Only two sectors posted job growths in Stanislaus County for January. Educational and Health Services added an estimated 200 positions and Government added about 100 positions. For the year over Educational and Health Services is up by approximately 1,800 positions and Government is up by an estimated 1,300 positions. The job growth for the month in Educational and Health Services all came from industries in healthcare and social assistance, according to the EDD's data. The January growth for the Government sector was solely at local school districts.

For the month of January Stanislaus County had an estimated labor force of 246,100, with 224,100 employed and 22,000 unemployed, the EDD reported.

Merced County had a January unemployment rate of 12.6 percent, up from 10.8 percent in December. San Joaquin County had an unemployment rate of 8.7 percent, up from 8 percent in December. The unemployment rate in California was at 5.5 percent in January, up from 5 percent the month prior and the nation's unemployment was at 5.1 percent for the same time frame, which is an increase from the 4.5 percent posted for December.

Ceres had an unemployment rate of 9.6 percent in January, up from the 8.9 percent in December. Hughson had a January rate of 12.8 percent, up from the 11.9 percent posted in December. Keyes had a rate of 14.6 percent in January, up from the 13.5 percent in December. Turlock had an unemployment rate of 8 percent in January, up from 7.4 percent posted in December. Denair had a rate of 5.1 percent in January, up slightly from the 4.7 percent posted in December.

The occupations with the most help wanted ads in Stanislaus County for January were: Registered Nurses - 442; Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers - 381; First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers - 152; Retail Salespersons - 140; Customer Service Representatives - 100; Maintenance and Repair Workers - 93; Security Guards - 90; Teacher Assistants - 84; Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping - 80; and Office Clerks, General - 77;

The 10 companies that posted the most help wanted ads for January in Stanislaus County were: West Suburban Medical Center - 202; The Hospitals of Providence - 136; Ceres Unified School District - 105; Tenet Healthcare Corporation - 97; Sutter Health - 87; Pizza Hut - 54; TruStaff - 52; Supplemental Health Care - 47; Modesto City Schools - 44; and California State University System - 51.