The South Bay was California’s biggest employment engine in May, continuing a monthslong trend of job gains, the state Employment Development Department reported Friday.
While the Bay Area as a whole experienced a flat month with no changes in employment, the South Bay has now added jobs for 11 consecutive months.
Adjusted for seasonal volatility, the South Bay added 2,400 jobs in May and the San Francisco-San Mateo region added 600. The East Bay, however, lost 2,200 jobs, according to the state EDD.
In the North Bay for the month of May, Napa County gained 300 jobs, Solano County lost 800, Sonoma County shed 200, and Marin County lost 100.
The South Bay’s gains were greater than every other metro area in the state, including the Los Angeles County region, which added 2,200 jobs last month.
Over the one-year period that ended in May, nonfarm payroll job totals increased by 1.5% in the South Bay, 0.9% in the San Francisco-San Mateo region, 0.8% in the Bay Area, 0.6% in California, and 0.1% in the East Bay. Nationwide job totals rose by 0.3% over the same 12 months.
California added 3,100 jobs in May. The statewide jobless rate was unchanged at 5.3%, the EDD reported.