The Bay Area lost thousands of jobs in March, a hiring slump that contrasts sharply with sturdy hiring reported throughout California during the same month.
The latest report from the state Employment Development Department is a reversal of February’s results, which saw the Bay Area gaining jobs while the state overall shed positions.
Adjusted for seasonal volatility, the Bay Area lost 3,500 jobs in March, the EDD reported. In February, the region had gained 1,400.
California added 28,700 jobs in March, a rebound from losses of 18,800 in Febraury, the EDD reported.
The EDD initially had estimated that California lost 19,900 jobs in February.
The statewide unemployment rate in March was 5.3%, an improvement from the jobless rate of 5.4% in February, the EDD reported.
The South Bay lost 300 jobs in March, while the East Bay shed 2,400, and the San Francisco-San Mateo region lost 2,800, according to the results released by the EDD.
The North Bay’s metro areas all produced solid job gains in March, the EDD report showed. Sonoma County and Solano County each added 700 jobs, and Marin County gained 400, while Napa County added 200.