Business & Tech

Unemployment Rate Reaches Record-High 30.1% In San Diego Region

San Diego County's estimated unemployment rose to a record-high 30.1 percent this week, according to a report.

City News Service, News Partner
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SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA — San Diego County's estimated unemployment rose to a record-high 30.1% this week, according to a report released Thursday by the San Diego Association of Governments.

The report says 22,800 jobs were lost between May 2 and May 9 and more than 510,000 are unemployed in the San Diego region as of May 9. Of those, nearly 460,000 people lost their jobs after March 7.

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The SANDAG report was published one day after San Diego County received approval from the state to reopen Stage 2 businesses such as restaurants and retail stores.

The report states, "For the local economy to take a significant turn for the better, the region must complete Phase 2 and move into Phase 3 of the Governor's roadmap to recovery."

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The San Diego County Board of Supervisors forwarded a proposal to Gov. Gavin Newsom this week for a pilot program that would test reopening Stage 3 sectors like gyms and salons, but has not yet received word from the governor's office. Newsom previously suggested Stage 3 businesses could reopen in June.

Logan Heights leads the county in unemployment with nearly 42% of residents out of work. Golden Hill, City Heights, the College area and San Ysidro all have more than 36% unemployment and National City has nearly 35% unemployed.

A separate report released Thursday by the San Diego Workforce Partnership states that 482 businesses reported layoffs since March 10.

In the week ending May 16, the Workforce Partnership said the highest number of local job postings were for software developers, registered nurses and retail salespeople, though barista job postings — largely driven by Starbucks — jumped into the top 10 list of postings for the first time in the past two months. The Workforce Partnership said this could indicate "the beginning of a rehiring wave as the county looks to implement phased reopening."

Peter Callstrom, president and CEO of the San Diego Workforce Partnership said, "As we approach the gradual economic reopening, only time will tell what lies ahead. To alleviate some uncertainty and to support both employers and their employees, the Workforce Partnership is implementing new strategies and tools to meet the need now and throughout the recovery."

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— City News Service

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