The Bay Area and California produced only small job gains during August, a new government report released Friday shows — another warning sign that job markets statewide and in this region have begun to stall.
California also has the nation’s highest unemployment rate among the 50 states and is one of only five states with a jobless rate of 5.0% or greater.
The Lake Merritt and area of downtown Oakland, seen in May 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
The Bay Area added 200 jobs in August, primarily because of a hiring upswing in the San Francisco-San Mateo region and despite a significant loss of jobs in the South Bay, according to reports released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
California gained only 3,800 jobs last month, the federal labor agency reported.
The unemployment rate in California was 5.5% in August, the worst nationwide, this news organization’s review of reports posted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows. The August rate was unchanged from July.
Nevada had the second-highest jobless rate at 5.3%. New Jersey, Ohio and Oregon each posted a 5% jobless rate.
Over the first eight months of 2025, California lost 21,200 jobs while the Bay Area shed 21,600 jobs, according to this news organization’s analysis of official reports.
Among the Bay Area’s three largest metro regions, the East Bay has lost 8,700 jobs, the San Francisco-San Mateo region has lost 7,000 positions, and the South Bay has lost 4,500 jobs so far in 2025.
During August, the San Francisco-San Mateo region gained 1,400 jobs, and the East Bay added 500 positions. The South Bay, however, lost 1,000 jobs last month, the government agency reported. All of the numbers were adjusted for seasonal variations.