Bay Area adds jobs in November, powered by big gains in South Bay
The Bay Area added thousands of jobs in November, an upswing fueled by big job gains in the South Bay that provided a welcome respite from recent months of employment losses for the nine-county region.
The employment gains in the Bay Area suggested that the region has been able to ward off — for now — at least some of the effects of relentless layoffs in the tech industry that began at the start of 2022 and that worsened in 2023.
The Bay Area added 5,800 jobs in November, government officials reported on Friday. The November gains mean the region gained employment over the two most recent months, ending three straight months of job losses in July, August and September.
The South Bay added 3,800 jobs in November, snapping a string of three consecutive months of employment losses in August, September and October, the new labor agency report determined.
The East Bay added 300 jobs last month. The four North Bay regions of Marin County, Sonoma County, Solano County and Napa County also posted job gains in November.
The San Francisco-San Mateo region lost 100 jobs in November. San Francisco is deemed by some experts to be mired in a “doom loop” of job losses and skyrocketing office vacancies that have been fueled by tech industry cutbacks.
California gained a relatively puny 9,300 jobs in November, which means the Bay Area accounted for most of the job gains in the state last month. The statewide unemployment rate worsened and rose to 4.9% in November, up from 4.8% in October.