The county’s yearly job losses in June fell to their lowest level since the peak of the recession in early 2009, according to the state Employment Development Department.
Employers here cut 3,200 workers in June versus a year earlier, a 0.2% drop.
That was down from 14,800 yearly job losses in May and 28,400 in April.
June’s yearly job losses are minimal compared to the worst of the current employment downturn, which came in early 2009 when the county lost some 72,000 jobs.
On a monthly basis, employers here continued to add jobs last month, albeit at a slower pace than in May.
Employers added 5,100 workers in June from May for a total nonfarm workforce of 1.37 million people.
The gain was at about half of May’s monthly pace, when 9,100 jobs were added from April. But it topped April’s 4,700 jobs added from March.
The recent monthly job gain high came in February, when the county added 100,600 jobs from January.
Hotels and other tourist businesses drove the monthly hiring in June with 3,400 added jobs for the summer season.
Professional and business services, which includes job placements by employment agencies, accounted for 3,300 new jobs in June from May.
The bulk of the jobs were in administrative and support services.
Government and education shed jobs in June from May.
The county’s unemployment rate actually rose in June, hitting 9.5%, up from a revised 9.2% for May and 9.4% a year earlier.
College graduates entering the job market and a return of the unemployed who may have temporarily stopped looking for work likely are behind the increase.
In June from a year earlier, hotels and other tourism businesses led hiring with the addition of 10,100 jobs. The hiring is in line with expectations of a subtle tourism rebound this summer.
Professional and business services added 3,700 jobs in June from a year earlier.
Construction continued to lag with a yearly loss of 9,900 jobs.
