The unemployment rate in Solano County was down to 5 percent in September

Article Last Updated: 10/26/2005 06:54 AM


Unemployment numbers down in Napa-Solano

By Times-Herald staff
Vallejo Times Herald

Unemployment is down in the Solano and Napa county areas, according to the state Employment Development Department's latest figures.

The unemployment rate in Solano County was 5 percent in September, down from 5.3 percent in August and below the year-ago estimate of 5.2 percent. At 3.7 percent, Napa County's unemployment rate is also lower, down from 4 percent in August and below the year-ago estimate of 3.8 percent.

These figures compare with a 4.8 national and state unemployment rate during the same period, according to the EDD statistics.

In Solano County, the biggest job gains over the year were in construction, professional services and government, while leisure and hospitality, education and health services and the trade, transportation and utilities industries lost jobs over the year.

The big gains in Napa County were in government and the leisure and hospitality industries, though jobs were lost in construction, manufacturing, transportation, trade and utilities and professional services.

These figures seem to support the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, which indicates that 31 percent of western state employers surveyed expect to hire new people in the fourth quarter of 2005 while only 9 percent plan on letting people go.

The latest manpower figures predict a healthy job market in the Solano and Napa county regions in the next quarter, with 23 percent of companies interviewed planning to hire new employees and none planning to reduce their workforce. Another 44 percent said they'd make no change in their staff levels, while 33 percent report uncertain hiring plans.

These figures are up from the last quarter report when 27 percent of the firms interviewed planned to hire but 7 percent planned to let people go.