The Bay Area job market rocketed to big gains in August that were larger than the increases for July, offering a hint that the easing of coronavirus-linked business shutdowns by government officials might have bolstered hiring, a labor report issued Friday shows.
The job gains in the Bay Area were propelled by robust increases in Santa Clara County, the East Bay, and San Francisco-San Mateo regions, according to seasonally adjusted figures released by government labor experts.
The employment upswing in the Bay Area was strong enough that the region during August accounted for 29 percent of all of the jobs added in California — even though the Bay Area has only 19 percent of California’s population.
The Bay Area added 29,700 jobs during August, the Friday report shows. San Francisco-San Mateo added 10,100 jobs, the East Bay added 9,900 positions, and Santa Clara County gained 6,100 jobs in August. All the numbers were adjusted for seasonal variations.
California added 101,900 jobs in August, and the statewide unemployment rate improved to 11.4 percent, down from 13.5 percent in July.
The August jobless rate in California was well below the coronavirus-triggered worst-ever rate of 16.4 percent in April and May — but far above the record low rates of 3.9 percent in January and February, which occurred before state and local government officials began ordering wide-ranging business shutdowns to combat the coronavirus.
