San Diego County\u2019s jobless rate fell in September as teachers and support staff returned to work but mixed in were heavy losses in retail, construction and tourism.<\/p>\n
The region\u2019s unemployment rate was 4.7%, state labor officials said Friday, down from 4.9% the previous month<\/a>. That compares to a nationwide average of 4% and 5.1% in California.<\/p>\n It is common for jobless claims to fall in September as thousands of support staff across education systems go back to work. At the same time, the summer tourism season winds down, and there are losses spread out across other industries \u2014 but that can\u2019t explain all the job cuts.<\/p>\n Leisure and hospitality (hotels, casinos, bars and restaurants) shed 4,000 jobs from August to September, which was about the same as past Septembers, and the same with trade, transportation and utilities (mainly retail) with 1,000. Yet several categories had big cuts that were higher than past years at this time: Financial activities (real estate, insurance, investments) dropped 800 jobs, and information (telecommunications, newspapers, publishing industry) was down by 300.<\/p>\n Other industries to lose jobs from August to September included construction, down by 500; manufacturing, down by 300; and other services (laundry, maintenance, religious), down by 100. Industries to gain jobs were government (mainly education), up by 9,800; private education and health services (nursing, social assistance, private schools and universities), up by 1,200; and professional and business services, up by 200.<\/p>\n Daniel Enemark, chief economist of the San Diego Regional Policy and Innovation Center, said when adjusted for seasonality, the employment picture looks worse. He said it was the slowest job growth\u00a0for a September, usually a big hiring month, in 17 years.<\/p>\n He said local job numbers reflect contractions at the national level, which he attributed to higher gas prices and tariffs.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen businesses are paying so much, they aren\u2019t hiring,\u201d Enemark said. \u201cThey can only be squeezed so much.\u201d<\/p>\n When adjusted for seasonal swings, San Diego County\u2019s unemployment rate in September was also 4.7%, according to Enemark. That compares to the 4.2% U.S. average<\/a> jobless rate and 5.1% in California<\/a>.<\/p>\n He said it wasn\u2019t all bad news. Reversing a trend, San Diego County\u2019s labor force \u2014 adults who either have a job or are actively looking for one \u2014 was 1.66 million, a rise of 1% in a month. However, it is still down from a peak of 1.68 million in March 2025.<\/p>\n Phil Blair, executive officer of Manpower San Diego, said he was pleased to see the labor force grow but was concerned about the overall jobs picture.<\/p>\n \u201cLosses in construction and manufacturing are typical for September,\u201d he said, \u201c(but) these are two industries that are essential for the majority of San Diegans who don\u2019t have a college degree.\u201d<\/p>\n Unemployed workers may be facing a doubly tough time while looking for work as San Diego County\u2019s inflation rate hit 4.7% in September<\/a>, which was the second-highest in the nation behind Urban Hawaii at 5.2%.<\/p>\n Who\u2019s hiring?<\/p>\n