Jobs gains in administrative and temporary work helped the county add jobs at a small clip in March, but the unemployment rate crept above 9% again as more job seekers entered the market.
The county gained 2,100 jobs in March from February, while the unemployment rate increased to 9.1%, up from 8.9% in February and 9.9% a year ago, according to the state Employment Development Department.
For the last four months, the unemployment rate has alternated from below 9% to above 9%.
The county’s employment was flat at 1.35 million nonfarm workers.
Professional and business services posted the largest monthly gain of 2,100 jobs. Administrative and support services, which include temporary staffing agencies, grew by 3,100 jobs.
That was slightly offset by the loss of 1,000 jobs in professional, scientific, and technical services.
Leisure and hospitality rose by 1,900 jobs as hotels and restaurants accounted for nearly 60% of the growth.
Trade, transportation, and utilities added 200 jobs. Wholesale trade accounted for all the growth, while retail trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities remained flat.
Mining and logging, information, and financial activities also were flat.
Other services, a catch-all category that includes equipment and machinery repair, religious activities, grantmaking, laundry, pet care, and dating services among other sectors, led the monthly decline, shedding 2,000 jobs.
The construction industry lost 900 jobs.
Employers here in March added 13,800 jobs from a year earlier, about a 1% gain. That marked the eighth month of consecutive yearly gains.
Leisure and hospitality posted the largest yearly growth, adding 7,500 jobs. Nearly 80% of the gains were in hotel and restaurants, a sign consumer spending is recovering.
Professional and business services added 5,600 jobs. Administrative and support services accounted for 70% of the gains.
Government reported the largest yearly decline, losing 1,900 jobs. Local government shed 2,700 jobs. That was partially offset by the addition of 800 state government jobs.
The government sector is often a lagging indicator.
Job losses didn’t show up until the recovery was under way as state and local government shed jobs to combat deep budget shortfalls.
This was the first month since the recent recession that government led the yearly decline and that could continue in the coming months.
Federal government jobs were flat.
