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Jobless rate increases slightly in Stanislaus County during March
Unemployment rate jumps to 9.6 percent
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The number of unemployed in Stanislaus County grew by a slim margin in March, according to the latest report from the Employment Development Department.

The unemployment rate was at 9.6 percent in March, up from the revised rate of 9.3 percent in February, but below the year-ago predictor of 10.7 percent.

Most industries saw job growth or were flat in March. The lone sector to post a job loss was Educational and Health Services, which reported an estimated 200 jobs lost for the month, according to the EDD. The declines came entirely from health care and social service occupations. Despite the loss for the month, the sector has an overall job growth when compared to March 2015. Over the year the sector has added approximately 800 positions.

The sectors that added the most jobs for the month were Leisure and Hospitality, which had an estimated 600 new jobs for the month, and Trade, Transportation, and Utilities, which added around 500 new positions for the month in Stanislaus County.

Both sectors also are above the year-ago mark for jobs, with Leisure and Hospitality having 9.2 percent more and Trade, Transportation, and Utilities having 5.4 percent more.

Other sectors showing job growth for the month were: Government (300), Manufacturing (100), and Mining, Logging, and Construction (100). The job growth for both Manufacturing and Mining, Logging, and Construction remains above the year-ago mark by 3.2 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively. The Government sector is down in jobs for the year by about 300 positions, according to the EDD.

Sectors that were flat for job growth in March were: Farming, Finances, Information, Professional and Business Services, and Other Services. All the sectors except Farming and Finances show job growth for the year. The Finances sector is flat and Farming is down by about 900 positions. However, EDD data shows that Farming sector typically picks up in hiring as the harvest season gets into swing.

California had an unemployment rate of 5.6 percent/
In the month of March Stanislaus County had a labor force of 243,300 people, of which 23,400 were unemployed, according to the EDD.

Ceres had an unemployment rate of 10.3 percent in March while Keyes had a rate of 15.6 percent and Hughson at 13.8 percent. Turlock had an unemployment rate of 8.6 percent in March. Denair had a rate of 5.5 percent.

The occupations with the most help wanted ads in Stanislaus County for March were: Registered Nurses - 523; Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers - 342; Retail Salespersons - 132; First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers - 100; Physical Therapists - 98; Occupational Therapists - 98; Medical and Health Services Managers - 98; First Line Supervisors of Food Preparations and Service Workers - 95; Speech-Language Pathologists - 89; and Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education - 80.

The 10 companies that posted the most help wanted ads for March in Stanislaus County were: The Hospitals of Providence - 181; Kaiser Permanente - 106; Ceres Unified School District - 100; Robert Half International - 91; Sutter Health - 89; California State University System - 82; Soliant - 77; Tenet Healthcare Corporation - 68; Modesto City Schools - 64; and TruStaff - 50.