Sonoma County unemployment rate down in February

The unemployment rate in Sonoma County inched downward in February, with the county gaining 2,500 jobs over January. So far this year, the county is up by 3,100 jobs.

The February rate, 3.8 percent, declined from 4.1 percent in January. In February 2016, the rate was 4.3 percent.

The California Economic Development Department data placed Sonoma County’s February unadjusted unemployment rate at below California’s rate of 5.2 percent as well as the national rate of 4.9 percent during the same period.

Of the 58 counties in California, Sonoma County remained the sixth lowest in the unemployment rate, according to figures released today.

The biggest gains for the month included professional and business services, with 900 jobs, leisure and hospitality, with 700, and educational and health services with 500.

Professional and business services also made the biggest gains over the year, with 2,000 jobs, at 22,100, or 10 percent. Education and health services also made large gains with 1,100 jobs, at 34,100, or ?3.3 percent.

County government also continues to grow, with 900 more jobs, at 33,100, or 2.8 percent, and construction is also up by 500, at 12,400, or 4.2 percent.

Despite these gains, manufacturing in both durable and nondurable goods continues to lose jobs. Between December 2016 and January 2017, Sonoma County lost 500 jobs in manufacturing, and was down another 100 in February. That’s a loss of 1,500 for the year, at 20,500, or ?6.8 percent.

The only other industries losing jobs for the year, each losing 100, were farming, at 5,700 jobs, and information, with 2,700.

The manufacturing industry accounts for about 14 percent of Sonoma County’s workforce, employing about 30,000, according to Ben Stone, Sonoma County Economic Development Board’s executive director, so a loss of 1,500 over the course of a year is overall not that significant.

About 300 to 400 of those losses can be attributed to the closing of Santa Rosa’s Data-Flow several months ago. Enphase Energy in Petaluma, and Trivascular in Santa Rosa have also laid off employees.