A new report shows San Luis Obispo County has the fourth-lowest unemployment rate in the state of California.
The California Employment Development Department reported the unemployment rate was 3.6% last month — a drop from April's reported 4.1%.
"It really just goes to show just kind of how tight the market is for employees here in SLO County," said Josh Elson, the San Luis Obispo branch manager for United Staffing Associates. "Pretty much everybody who is of working age is working."
Local business owners said San Luis Obispo is a desirable place to work.
"We're very happy here at SLO Ranch Marketplace and SLO Ranch Farms that all of our businesses are local and they are able to hire local," said Jacob Grossman, the operations manager at SLO Ranch Farms.
"The culture San Luis brings and the people that live here, whether it be the students or the people that live in the surrounding areas, they have the culture, it's community-based," said Eric Ebeling, the owner of the San Luis Obispo Mr. Pickles.
Ebeling said that there isn't much turnover, and the people he hires typically stick around for years. While at SLO Ranch Farms, a newer business, Grossman said it can sometimes be difficult to find the right applicant.
"What we've noticed is that there are a lot of responses, and a lot of people looking for jobs here in SLO, which is great," said Grossman. "On the other hand, it's been trickier to find people who have experience in related fields."
That's where organizations like United Staffing Associates come in; they can help connect qualified candidates with jobs.
The manager said that certain types of jobs become more available depending on what time of year it is.
"In the summer, you're going to see a lot more hospitality and leisure business hiring because of the tourism," said Elson. "But long term, we've seen consistent growth in the construction industry, aerospace, medicine and hospitality."
The California Employment Development Department shows similar findings. They report that in the last month, the leisure and hospitality industry experienced the most job growth, adding 700 jobs.
The report shows that in the month of May, San Luis Obispo County gained 1,700 jobs.
