Thousands of people in Stanislaus and Merced counties rang in the new year without work, according to preliminary data provided by the State of California Employment Development Department (EDD).

Stanislaus County’s unemployment rate rose from 6.4% in November to 6.9% in December, translating to about 16,900 people without work. In Merced County, unemployment spiked from 8.5% to 10.2% to cap off 2023, roughly 11,500 individuals without work.

Both of those figures reported by the EDD are significantly higher than they were at this time last year, when each county had more than 2,500 fewer residents unemployed. In December of 2022, Stanislaus County had an unemployment rate of 5.3% while Merced County had a rate of 7.9%. 

The December rate spikes are consistent with California as a whole, as the state’s rate rose to 5.1% — a .2% increase from November. Meanwhile, the national rate remained at 3.5%.

The farming industry saw the biggest loss of jobs, losing 1,600 workers in Stanislaus County and 2,200 in Merced County, mostly due to colder and wetter weather setting in for the winter months. Additionally, roughly 600 local education jobs were let go in Stanislaus County. The local education, goods producing and construction sectors each let go of 100 workers in Merced County to contribute to their unemployment spike.

Some of the only places that were hiring in Stanislaus County in December were retail stores. Nevertheless, the growing popularity in online shopping for the holidays led to only 100 workers being hired in the industry. According to the United States Department of Commerce, online retail sales rose by 1.5% last month.

In terms of specific cities, Turlock posted an unemployment rate of 5.2%, or 1,800 individuals without work. Nearby Hughson had approximately 300 people without work last month, translating to an unemployment rate of 9.8%. Denair, Hilmar and Keyes each had roughly 100 folks without work.

The sector with the most demand for workers in Stanislaus County continues to be health care and social assistance, as there are over 1,600 current openings. Of those openings, there are currently 350 online job listings for registered nurses. Fittingly, the two top hiring companies in the county are Sutter Health and Doctors Medical Center. There are currently over 130 job listings between the two. Similarly, Merced County has a significant demand for registered nurses, with 75 current listings.