COVID economy: Bay Area powers to big job gains in February, led by South Bay

All regions of Bay Area join in major employment surge for February: new report

The Bay Area powered to big job gains during February, led by a huge surge in the South Bay, an upswing that offers hope the region is poised to rebound from coronavirus-linked business shutdowns and massive layoffs.

The nine-county region in February posted its largest monthly gain in jobs since August, an indication that the slow easing of government restrictions may be allowing more businesses to open their operations and hire workers.

“I think we’re seeing the actual light at the end of the tunnel here,” said Patrick Kallerman, research director with the Bay Area Council’s Economic Institute. “The fundamentals that made the Bay Area the hottest economy in the nation are all still here, for now.”

During February, the Bay Area added 16,700 jobs, which ended two months of job losses that occurred in December and January, according to a government report released Friday.

Santa Clara County gained 7,400 jobs, which means the South Bay accounted for 44% — nearly half — of the jobs added in the entire Bay Area in February the monthly government release showed.

The San Francisco-San Mateo region added 2,600 positions while the East Bay added 1,600 jobs.

Marin County added 2,000 jobs, Sonoma County and Napa County each gained 1,200 jobs, and Solano County added 700 positions. Santa Cruz County had no change in its job totals lin February.

California gained 141,000 jobs in February, which was the largest one-month gain in employment since last June. All of the Bay Area and statewide numbers were adjusted for seasonal variations.

The statewide jobless rate in February improved to 8.5%, down from 9% in January.

“February marks the lowest unemployment rate California has seen since the onset of the pandemic last year,” the state Labor Department and the governor’s office said in a prepared release on Friday.

Still, the battered California economy remains far removed from its glory days of early last year. In February 2020, the month before coronavirus-linked business lockdowns began, the statewide unemployment rate was 3.9%.

And the leisure and hospitality sector, consisting primarily of restaurants, hotels, drinking establishments, arts centers, and entertainment facilities, has a long way to go before it can recover from its gargantuan job losses.

“It will take some time for restaurants to recover, for tourism to rebound, and for small businesses to pick up the pieces,” Kallerman said.