The Bay Area and California both added jobs in April, but the gains were puny and sketch a picture of an ominously feeble employment market statewide and in this region, a new report shows.
The April employment upswing in the Bay Area was led almost single-handedly by the East Bay, which posted healthy gains. The South Bay was flat while the San Francisco-San Mateo area lost jobs.
The Bay Area added 300 jobs in April, according to figures posted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Here’s how the Bay Area’s seven metro regions fared during April. All of the numbers were adjusted for seasonal volatility:
— The East Bay gained 2,600 jobs.
— The South Bay’s employment totals were unchanged.
— The San Francisco-San Mateo region lost 1,700 jobs.
— In the North Bay, Marin County gained 200 jobs, Napa County added 100 positions, Sonoma County lost 600 jobs, while Solano County shed 300 jobs.
California added a nearly invisible 5,200 jobs. The statewide unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.3%.
So far this year, the Bay Area has lost 1,100 jobs, this news organization’s review of the official employment reports for 2024 shows.
Yet while the job losses are unsettling, hopeful spots are visible in the region’s gloomy economic landscape.
All of the employment declines for the Bay Area occurred in February when the region lost 3,500 jobs.
The Bay Area added 1,900 jobs in January and rebounded from the February losses with a gain of 200 positions in March and the just-reported increase of 300 jobs in April.
It’s also become apparent that the primary source of weakness for the Bay Area job market is the San Francisco metro area. The San Francisco-San Mateo region has lost jobs each of the four months in 2024.