Sonoma County adds jobs in May

Sonoma County job growth continued in May, buoyed by upticks in construction, tourism and farm jobs, according to the state's monthly job report.

Over the past year, employers have added 2,900 workers in a wide swath of jobs ranging from electronic manufacturing, clerical work, health care assistance and in grocery stores.

Local companies employed 199,500 people in May, the most since a record 200,600 in October.

"It looks fairly good. Eight of the major indices that we look at had increases," said Tiffany Furrell, a labor analyst with the state. "Only one had a year-over-year decrease, and that was farm."

Unemployment inched down slightly, dropping from 4.1 percent in April to 4 percent in May, according to the preliminary report compiled by the Employment Development Department.

The monthly numbers will be revised in early 2008. A year ago, the jobless rate stood at 3.7 percent.

The economy created 2,100 new jobs between April and May, largely in three industries. Construction added 500 jobs, as did the hospitality and leisure segment. And dry, warm weather signaled the start of the growing season, as farm jobs jumped 15 percent, adding 800 positions.

"When spring hits, you get more activity out in the fields," said Lex McCorvey, executive director of the Sonoma County Farm Bureau. "The ground has dried out enough that if people want to do projects like fix a well or build a fence, they can."

Year over year, farm jobs are down about 1.5 percent. But McCorvey chalks up the difference to weather patterns. This year, a mild winter with little frost meant farmers were not battling mildew or other damages that require extra workers.

Construction continues to deal with the slowdown in the housing market, but commercial and public work projects have helped pick up the slack. Employment in the construction sector is down only 300 jobs from a peak reached late in the summer of 2006.

"The public works sector has really heated up," said Will Earnshaw, vice president of operations for North Bay Construction. "There is a lot of stuff on the horizon. It looks pretty good looking forward."

However, a lot of construction workers are still looking for work because of the housing slowdown, Earnshaw said.

Hotels, restaurants and bars begin hiring extra workers in May for the busy summer months, said Keo Hornbostel, general manager of Hyatt Vineyard Creek and board member of the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau.

"This is really when we start getting geared up," Hornbostel said. "The season for us is June to October. It is probably the best time for people to be up in Sonoma County."

In Mendocino County, unemployment dropped to 5.2 percent from 5.8 percent in April. A year ago, the rate was 4.8 percent.

In Lake County, unemployment also improved in May to 7.2 percent from 7.8 percent the previous month. But unemployment is also worse than a year ago, up from 6.6 percent.

You can reach Staff Writer Nathan Halverson at 521-5494

or nathan.halverson@pressdemo

crat.com.