South Bay job growth drives state employment gains in May

The South Bay was California’s biggest employment engine in May, continuing a monthslong trend of job gains, the state Employment Development Department reported Friday.

While the Bay Area as a whole experienced a flat month with no changes in employment, the South Bay has now added jobs for 11 consecutive months.

The tech industry fueled much of the South Bay’s hiring boom during May, as indicated by seasonally adjusted figures for an array of industries that Beacon Economics provided to this news organization.

Adjusted for seasonal volatility, the South Bay added 2,400 jobs in May and the San Francisco-San Mateo region added 600. The East Bay, however, lost 2,200 jobs, according to the state EDD.

In the North Bay for the month of May, Napa County gained 300 jobs, Solano County lost 800, Sonoma County shed 200, and Marin County lost 100.

The South Bay’s gains were greater than every other metro area in the state, including far-larger Los Angeles County, this news organization’s review of information that the state EDD posted on its website showed.

Over the one-year period that ended in May, nonfarm payroll job totals increased by 1.5% in the South Bay, 0.9% in the San Francisco-San Mateo region, 0.8% in the Bay Area, 0.6% in California, and 0.1% in the East Bay. Nationwide job totals rose by 0.3% over the same 12 months.

California added 3,100 jobs in May. The statewide jobless rate was unchanged at 5.3%, the EDD reported.

The Bay Area gained 1,100 tech jobs in the Bay Area during May, according to seasonally adjusted calculations that Beacon Economics derived from the official EDD report.

The tech industry added 1,200 jobs in the South Bay and another 500 in the East Bay. These upswings more than offset a loss of 500 tech jobs in the San Francisco-San Mateo region and a decline of 100 tech jobs in Marin County, Beacon estimated.

Other strong South Bay industries, as shown by the Beacon estimates, were construction, which added 600 positions, manufacturing, which added 600 jobs, and hotels and restaurants, which gained 200 roles.

Here’s how the South Bay’s gain of 2,400 jobs stacked up against other metro areas — several with significantly larger job bases and populations — during May.

Los Angeles County added 2,200 jobs, San Diego County added 1,600 positions, Fresno County added 1,200 jobs, and Orange County gained 1,100 positions, according to the EDD report. These numbers were adjusted for seasonal volatility.