Seasonal jobs also contribute to lower county jobless rate
An upswing in local hiring has dropped the Madera County unemployment rate despite a couple of mass layoffs, officials say.
As of May, the county’s unemployment rate was 14.3 percent, down from April’s rate of 15.5 percent, said Tracie Scott-Contreras, a manager for the Madera County Workforce Assistance Center.
An uptick in seasonal hiring in the agriculture industry and more than 100 recently filled jobs for two new Madera businesses could further drop the jobless rate for June and July.
“We are seeing a fairly significant upswing in hiring right now,” Scott-Contreras said. “Marshalls finished hiring in June. They interviewed 1,200 and hired 107 people. And Rue 21 (a clothing store set to open soon next to Marshalls) interviewed 150 and hired 15 for their store this month.” ...