Sonoma County sees seasonal rise in jobless rate

Sonoma County’s jobless rate saw a seasonal rise in July, climbing to 5.8 percent as school employees went on summer recess.

The unemployment rate rose from 5.3 percent in June but remained below the July 2013 rate of 7 percent.

Employment at state and local education agencies declined last month by 3,000 workers. And the number of private education jobs also fell by 500.

Such a decline is part of a seasonal trend seen around the North Bay and the state.

“We typically see unemployment increase at this time of year as schools scale back for the summer,” said Linda Wong, North Bay labor consultant for the state’s Economic Development Department.

The overall number of jobless people increased by 1,200 people in July from June to 15,100, according to state data. The numbers may have risen not only from unemployed school workers but also from youth unable to find summer jobs, Wong said.

Sonoma County remained ranked sixth among California counties with the lowest employment rates. Marin County ranked first at 4.4 percent. Napa was fourth at 5.1 percent. Mendocino County ranked 14th at 6.6 percent and Lake, 40th at 9.7 percent.

The July unemployment rate for California and the nation were 7.8 and 6.5 percent, respectively.