Business & Tech
Jobs and Joblessness Rise In East Bay
Unemployment rate rises as region adds 6,200 jobs
The number of jobs and the number of people who officially don't have them both rose last month in the East Bay.
The unemployment rate for the region in March increased to 9.8 percent, up from 9.6 percent in February.
However, the region also added 6,200 jobs. The biggest gains came in education and health services, which saw an increase of 2,700 jobs, and leisure and hospitality, which rose by 2,400.
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Decreases were seen in the construction industry with a loss of 500 jobs and professional business services, which dropped by 300 jobs.
Cindy Sugrue, a labor market consultant with the state Employment Development Department, said the main reason the unemployment rate ticked up while jobs increased is more people re-entered the labor market.
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The March unemployment rate in Contra Costa County was 9.9 percent. In Alameda County, it was 9.7 percent. Both were slightly higher than February.
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