County jobless rate dips slightly

Sonoma County's jobless rate dipped to 4.9 percent in February, as business picked up slightly from New Year's doldrums, labor analysts said Friday.

Unemployment was down from 5.2 percent in January -- the highest rate in 3½ years, according to the state Employment Development Department.

Still, last month's figure is a half point higher than February 2007, reflecting a loss of jobs in the housing sector over the past 12 months.

Sonoma County's employment forecast remains "fair to cloudy," said Ben Stone, executive director of the county's Economic Development Board.

"There's some activity going on as people ramp up for spring," he said. But the increase in employment was slight, Stone said.

The jobless rate typically rises in January as retailers cut staffing after the holidays, said Tiffany Furrell, a labor market analyst for the state.

Employment often picks up in February, she said.

Sonoma County gained jobs in manufacturing, health care and government between January and February, according to the state report. There were fewer jobs in tourism.

The county has about 3,000 more jobs that it did a year ago. But it also has 3,500 more people in its labor force.

Over the past 12 months, the county has lost 400 jobs in real estate and finance, along with 100 jobs in construction. Government also has been affected by the housing downturn, with a loss of 300 jobs since February 2007.

But retail, manufacturing, health care, professional services and business support services have gained more than 3,000 jobs over the year.

Tourism and construction should pick up later in the year, Stone said.

County unemployment remains below California's February rate of 6.1 percent and the national rate of 5.2 percent. Of California's 58 counties, Sonoma had the eighth lowest jobless rate, behind Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, San Luis Obispo, Orange, Napa and Mono counties.

California added about 25,800 non-farm jobs during the month, while the number of unemployed was down by 41,000.

Still, the number of jobless people in California was 140,000 higher than in February 2007, according to the state.

Mendocino County's February rate was 7 percent, compared with 7.2 percent in January.

The rate for Lake County was 9.6 percent, down from 10.4 percent in January.

You can reach Staff Writer Steve Hart at 521-5205 or steve.hart@pressdemocrat.com.