The unemployment rate in Stanislaus County took another dip in May, according to the latest numbers from the Employment Development Department.
The May unemployment rate came in at 8 percent for Stanislaus County, down from a revised rate of 8.6 percent in April and well below the year-ago estimate of 15.6 percent.
The drop in unemployment has largely been fueled by a reopening of the economy and just about every sector finding they need to hire more people.
All but two sectors in Stanislaus County reported job gains or stayed steady in the month of May, with farming showing the largest growth, according to the EDD.
During the month of May the Farming sector added approximately 2,900 positions and is over the year-ago number by about 1,000 jobs, the EDD reported.
Educational and Health Services added an estimated 700 positions for the month and is over the year-ago number by approximately 1,400 jobs.
Leisure and Hospitality added an estimated 200 jobs in May. More significantly, the sector is above where it was last year by an estimated 4,100 positions, the EDD reported.
Mining, Logging and Construction added about 100 jobs for the month. Manufacturing, Trade, Transportation and Utilities, Information, Professional and Business Services and Other Services all remained flat for the month.
Both Financial Activities and Government reported job losses of about 100 each for the month of May.
Stanislaus County has an estimated 221,000 employed and 19,300 unemployed, according to the EDD.
Opportunity Stanislaus said that local employers are still having difficulty in hiring new employees and is launching a program that can help streamline the process.
“We checked unemployment data for Stanislaus and Merced counties and found that there are approximately 30,000 people on unemployment right now and then imagined the disaster that would occur in September if everyone got off unemployment at once trying to find jobs,” said Opportunity Stanislaus spokesperson Amber Edwards.
The program is directing unemployed individuals to the website www.hiringheadstart.com where they can apply for good paying jobs at some of the top companies in the county.
“Some are offering hiring bonuses and all have good benefits that include things like medical, dental, tuition reimbursement, and perks like on site COVID vaccinations,” Edwards said.
Job seekers fill out one application, which takes about five minutes and then all the participating employers get an email with their application at the same time. Currently, Opportunity Stanislaus has 14 employers participating in the program.
California had an unemployment rate of 7.5 percent and the national rate was at 5.5 percent for the same time period.
Turlock had an unemployment rate of 6.5 percent in May, down from the 6.7 percent posted in April. Denair's came in at 7.6 percent, down from 8.1 percent. Hughson had a rate of 4.3 percent, down from 4.6 percent. Keyes reported a rate of 9.9 percent, down from 10.5 percent and Ceres had a rate of 9.5 percent, down from 9.9 percent in April.
The EDD released data regarding the online job vacancies and the companies looking to hire for the month of May. The top 10 positions with the most job ads for the month in Stanislaus County were: Registered nurses - 572, which was up by 88 from the month prior; retail salespersons - 333, which was up by 21 from April; sales representatives wholesale and manufacturing except scientific and technical products - 292, which rose by 31 from April; heavy and tractor-trailer drivers - 271, which was a decrease of 10 from the previous month; customer service representatives - 248, which was up by 17 from the month prior; first-line supervisors of retail sales workers - 238, which was an increase of 17 from April; laborer and freight, stock and material movers - 225, which lost four for the month; maintenance and repair workers - 192, which was an increase of three from April; managers - 183, which rose by 28 for the month; and combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food – 165, which was an increase of 28 from the month prior.
The top 10 companies posting the most online job vacancies in Stanislaus County in May were: Anthem Blue Cross - 340, up by 49; Modesto City Schools - 176, down by 20; Ceres Unified School District - 149, down by 52; Tenet Health System - 132, up by 36; Sutter Health - 116, up by 6; Turlock Unified School District - 104, which was down by 18 from April; Emanuel Medical Center - 99, up by 15; E&J Gallo Winery - 98, up by 24; Hospitals of Providence – 97, up by 44; and Doctors Medical Center of Modesto - 79, the same as the month prior.
