East Bay Jobs Picture Improved A Bit In October

Figures released Friday by the state Employment Development Department showed a slight improvement in the East Bay jobs picture last month.

The unemployment rate in Alameda County fell a tick from 10.2 percent in September to 10.1 percent in October.

Joblessness in Contra Costa County also edged down from 10.1 percent in September to 10 percent in October.

The unemployment rate reflects how many people in the region actively hunted for work in a given month but couldn't find any.

The statewide unemployment rate in October was 11.7 percent, while joblessness nationwide registered 9.0 percent, according to the EDD.

Alameda and Contra Costa counties are grouped together as one statistical zone.

Together, they added 2,600 jobs between September and October. That brought the number of East Bay residents drawing paychecks to 952,400.

Even so, an estimated 140,300 people in the two counties actively looked for work last month but couldn't find it.

Some East Bay industries added jobs, other lost them.

The biggest job gains between September and October came in government,  which added 3,400 position, all but 200 of those in public schools.

Private education and health services together added 3,300 jobs in the biggest September-to-October jump in 21 years. Two-thirds of those gains came in health care and social assistance.

But construction lost 1,400 jobs while leisure and hospitality payrolls shrank by 1,000.

Zooming down to the community level, Friday's survey revealed huge variations in unemployment rates.

Albany had a 4.3 percent jobless rate in October. In Oakland it was 15.2 percent. In Cherryland, the unincorporated area just south of San Leandro, unemployment was 14.6 percent last month.

In other selected locales rates fell a tick except in Livermore where the number remained flat:

• In Newark, the October jobless rate fell to 9.4 percent in October from 9.5 percent in September.
• Union City's unemployment rate also edged down to 9.4 percent in October from 9.5 percent the prior month.
• San Leandro registered 9.9 percent unemployment in October versus 10 percent in September.
• San Lorenzo's jobless rate in October was 7.5 percent down from 7.6 percent in September.
• In Dublin, the unemployment rate stood at 6.1 percent compared to 6.2 percent in September.
• Pleasanton saw unemployment dip to 5.1 percent in October compared to 5.2 percent in September.
• In Livermore the October jobless rate was 6.6 percent, the same as in September.