North Bay jobless claims drop in mid-September to pandemic lows
Unemployment rates across the six North Bay counties declined in August from July, now with all of them dropping below the California unemployment rate of 7.5%, state figures released Friday show.
Marin County’s unemployment rate was 4.4%, the lowest in the North Bay, according to the state Employment Development Department. Sonoma County followed at 5.3%. Napa County reported 5.5%, lower than Mendocino and Lake counties, whose August rates were 6.1% and 7%, respectively. Solano County had the highest rate, at 7.3%.
California’s 7.5% unemployment rate is now 8.5 percentage points below its pandemic peak of 16% in April 2020, according to the department.
And new applications for unemployment benefits in North Bay counties last week dropped to their lowest points since the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns on the economy first went into place in mid-March 2020, according to department data.
New Solano claims last week fell 30.5% to 863 from the week before. That’s still above the average 582 weekly claims from county residents in the month and a half before state and county health orders started restricting business operations in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus.
Comparable data for initial September claims in pre-pandemic years weren’t available.
Sonoma’s new claims fell 24.5% to 712 last week from the week before but was above the 2.5-month pre-pandemic weekly average of 471.
New applications in Napa dropped 23.7% last week to 216, still above the 139-a-week average before the pandemic.
Jobless claims in Marin tumbled 17.8% last week to 337, more than double the pre-pandemic average of 171.
Applications in Mendocino and Lake fell 13.4% and 18.8% to 149 and 117, respectively. Their pre-pandemic weekly averages were 119 and 102.
These steep decreases in local jobless claims came just after federal supplementary unemployment insurance payments ended, yet California’s program for extra money is set to continue through the end of September.
Marin County
The unemployment rate in Marin County was 4.4% in August, down from a revised 4.5% in July. Last year in August, the county’s unemployment rate was 7.8%.
The county added jobs in construction; manufacturing; professional and business services; and educational and health services. Fewer jobs were available in trade, transportation and utilities; leisure and hospitality; and government.
Sonoma County
The unemployment rate in Sonoma County was 5.3% in August, down from a revised 5.6% in July. The county’s unemployment rate in August 2020 was 8.7%.
Jobs were added in construction; manufacturing; educational and health services; government; and leisure and hospitality. Fewer jobs were available in trade, transportation and utilities.
Napa County
The unemployment rate in Napa County was 5.5% in August, down from a revised 5.7% in July. The county’s unemployment rate in August 2020 was 9.3%.
The county added jobs in manufacturing; leisure and hospitality; and government. There were no fewer jobs in other sectors.
Mendocino County
Mendocino County’s unemployment rate in August was 6.1%, down from a revised 6.3% in July. The county’s unemployment rate in August 2020 was 9.5%.
Jobs were added in mining, logging and construction; transportation, warehousing and utilities; professional and business services; educational and health services; and state and local government. Fewer jobs were available in financial activities; retail; leisure and hospitality; and federal government.
Lake County
The unemployment rate in Lake County in August was 7%, down from a revised 7.4% in July. Last year in August, the unemployment rate in the county was 9.5%.
The county added jobs in manufacturing; transportation, warehousing and utilities; information services; leisure and hospitality; and local government. Fewer jobs were available in mining, logging and construction; wholesale trade; retail; financial activities; professional and business services; educational and health services; and state government.
Solano County
The unemployment rate in Solano County was 7.3% in August, down from a revised 7.6% in July. Last year in August, the county’s unemployment rate was 11%.
Jobs were added in construction; trade, transportation and utilities; professional and business services; educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; and government. There were no fewer jobs in other sectors.
