Del Mar, San Diego Unemployment Rates Decline

The unemployment rate in San Diego County last month was 7.4 percent, down from a revised 7.8 percent in July, and below the 9.2 percent recorded in August 2012, the state Employment Development Department announced Friday.

In Del Mar, the unemployment rate was 3.8 percent in August, down slightly from 4 percent the month before and a drop from 4.7 percent this time last year.

The EDD said the seasonally unadjusted statewide unemployment rate last month was 8.8 percent. The U.S. figure was 7.3 percent.

In San Diego, a net of 2,900 nonfarm jobs were added in August, which included the greatest monthly gain ever in the leisure and hospitality sector -- 3,300 new positions, the agency reported. Of those, 2,900 were in food services and drinking establishments.

Over the last year, the region has gained 14,800 nonfarm jobs, with several thousand positions added in each of the education and health services, health care and social services, leisure and hospitality, and professional and business services sectors.

Construction lost 1,800 jobs last month, but remains 700 positions higher than a year ago, the EDD said.

The agency said about 119,500 San Diegans were unemployed last month, out of a civilian workforce of 1.6 million.

-City News Service. Shauntel Lowe contributed to this report.