County’s jobless rate inches up in October

The unemployment rate in Sonoma County was 5 percent in October, according to state projections, inching up ever so slightly from the September’s rate of 4.9 percent, but not enough to cause concern that job growth is slowing, according to experts.

“The numbers are relatively small and not statistically significant,” said Ben Stone, executive director of the Sonoma County Economic Development Board.

“The big news is we have added 4,100 new jobs over the last year,” he said. “That’s good news. We’ve come close to getting all the jobs we lost.”

Sonoma County’s rate of unemployment was still well below California’s adjusted rate of 7.3 percent, as well as the national rate of 5.8 percent during the same period.

“The (Sonoma County) unemployment rate has remained relatively low … it’s doing well,” said Janice Shriver, a labor market consultant with the state employment department.

Of the 58 counties in California, Sonoma County had the fifth lowest unemployment rate.

Marin County ranked first at 3.9 percent and Napa fourth at 4.4 percent. Mendocino ranked 10th at 5.7 percent and Lake 44th at 8.8 percent.

Overall in California, there have been steady employment gains since the jobless rate spiked at more than 12 percent in February 2010.

During the recession, unemployment peaked in Sonoma County at 11.2 percent in the winter of 2010.

Unemployment was at its lowest level in the county in April 2008, when the rate was 4.8 percent.

Most recently, total employment in Sonoma County increased by 1,000 jobs from September to October. The gains were largest in non-farm (1,100 jobs); government (1,400); professional and business services (500); and construction (400).

But there were losses in manufacturing (700); educational and health services (500); total farm (100); and leisure and hospitality (100).

“The numbers kind of bob around from month to month,” said Stone, who said there were no obvious explanations for some of the fluctuations.

“A lot of the wineries are classed as manufacturing. They may have laid off some people. It was an early harvest,” he said.

Overall he said the job growth trajectory is good. “We’re gaining on every front. Sure there have been some layoffs in some industries, but it’s offset by the strong increase in jobs across the board - a broad-based recovery,” he said.

Stone said an unemployment rate of around 5 percent is considered optimum. “It’s considered pretty close to full employment,” he said

“It’s a healthy balance between people looking for work and employers looking for employees,” he said.

The October level of employed workers in the county - which excludes self-employed people and some categories of household domestic workers - stood at 198,000, up by 1,000 in September.

Within Sonoma County, the highest unemployment rates were in Monte Rio at 11.1 percent; Guerneville at 9.9 percent, and Cloverdale, Fetters Hot Springs and Occidental at 7.6 percent.

The lowest unemployment rates were in Glen Ellen at 3.1 percent; Sebastopol at 3.1 percent; Graton at 3.3 percent; and Bodega Bay at 3.5 percent. Santa Rosa’s unemployment rate was 4.9 percent.

You can reach Staff ?Writer Clark Mason at ?521-5214 or clark.mason?@pressdemocrat.com. On ?Twitter @clarkmas.