Pandemic job recovery continued last month. How many people are out of work in Fresno?
Fresno County’s unemployment rate dipped in October to its lowest level since before the COVID-19 pandemic forced a clampdown on many businesses and ravaged the region’s economy.
The state Employment Development Department estimated that out of an available workforce of more than 443,000 in the county, fewer than 34,000 were out of work last month. That’s a rate of 7.6%, down a tick from 7.7% in September, and less than half what it was at the height of the job losses forced by the spread of the novel coronavirus.
A year ago, the unemployment rate in Fresno County was 9.7%, with more than 43,000 people out of work. At the height of the pandemic’s employment effects in April 2020, the number of jobless people climbed to more than 76,000.
Over the past year, the largest gains in jobs have come in the leisure/hospitality sector, an industry that was slammed in the pandemic as restaurants and recreational venues were closed, and travel slowed to a crawl. The EDD estimates released late last week indicate that the sector saw the highest volume of job gains in Fresno County since October 2020, with about 4,300 more jobs than a year ago.
October and November typically experience some of the lowest unemployment rates in Fresno County and neighboring counties each year as businesses ramp up hiring for the holiday season.
October reflected increases in jobs in several major industry sectors, according to an analysis by Steven Gutierrez, an EDD labor market consultant in Fresno. The largest gain was among government agencies in Fresno County, with a collective increase of 1,500 jobs from September. Local government agencies, including cities and counties, reported 1,400 more jobs, while jobs at state agencies gained 300 jobs. Those gains offset a loss of about 300 jobs with federal agencies in Fresno County.
“Trade, transportation, and utilities moved up by 1,100 jobs,” Gutierrez reported. “Retail trade grew by 600 jobs, (and) transportation, warehousing, and utilities expanded by 300 jobs.” Wholesalers added another 200 jobs over the month.
Around the Valley
Similar patterns of job recovery were seen in neighboring counties in the central San Joaquin Valley.
Kings County started 2020 with an unemployment rate of 9.6% and peaked in April 2020 at 16.9%. The October 2021 rate was reported at 7.9%.
Madera County’s unemployment rate was 8.2% in January 2020, climbed to 17.4% in April 2020. The rate was 7.3% last month, up from 7.2% in September.
Merced County opened 2020 with a January unemployment rate of 9.9% and peaked in April 2020 at 18.5%. The rate for October 2021 was 8.0%
Tulare County’s unemployment rate in January 2020 was 11.2% and soared to 18.6% in April 2020. The rate was 9.2% last month.
Across the five-county region, a total of 155,500 people were out of work at the peak of the pandemic’s effects on employment. That number shrank to 70,600 last month.
