Sonoma County gained 1,300 jobs in February

Sonoma County added 1,300 jobs in February, bringing the unemployment rate down a tick to 6.2 percent compared to January, according to the state Employment Development Department.

Year-to-year data show that the county's unemployment rate fell 1.4 percentage points from February 2013 to February 2014, which translates into 7,000 new jobs.

The decline is further evidence that Sonoma County is undergoing a steady economic recovery, one that has earned it the seventh-lowest unemployment rate of the state's 58 counties, local officials said.

"This is what recovery looks like," said Ben Stone, executive director of the county's Economic Development Board. "It's a slow recovery, but the good news is we're headed in the right direction."

Strong employment gains were made in February in construction, manufacturing, government and educational and health services sectors. The government sector saw 400 jobs added last month, education and health services added 300, while manufacturing and construction added 200 and 100, respectively.

The jobless data, released on Friday, show February's unemployment rate was 7.9 percent in Mendocino County and 11.4 percent in Lake County.

There are an estimated 261,600 jobs in Sonoma County, 43,080 in Mendocino County and 26,710 in Lake County.

Stone said that about 2,000 of the 4,200 government sector jobs added in he previous 12 months were a result of the opening of the Graton Resort and Casino in Rohnert Park. The jobs are classified by the state as government because tribes are separate governments, Stone said.

Linda Wong, North Bay labor market consultant for the state's economic development department, said the construction sector in Sonoma County is seeing steady improvement.

"For Sonoma County, it's totally coming back," Wong said.

Construction jobs have continued to show modest expansion. The 100 jobs added this February accounted for half the overall when compared to February 2013.

Eric Ziedrich, owner of Healdsburg Lumber Company and secretary/treasurer of the North Coast Builders Exchange, said he's seen a steady uptick in business in the past 12 months. His business caters to local construction contractors.

The improvements, however, do not even come close to bringing the construction industry back to pre-recession levels, he said. Nevertheless, he expects the construction jobs to continue to grow in 2014.

"We got so beat up during this last Great Recession that I'm personally very reluctant to get too cocky with my forecasts," he said.

Wong said the number of trade, transportation and utilities jobs has gradually improved for 3? years. The sector had 1,400 more jobs in February than it had a year earlier.

Sonoma County's unadjusted February unemployment rate was below that of the state's 8.5 percent and the nation's 7.0 percent last month.

Stone said local employers are beginning to report that they are having a hard time finding the people they want. "That's a bellwether of a recovering economy," he said.