August proved to be a strong month for the labor markets at each the local, statewide and national levels, according to preliminary data provided on Friday by the State of California Employment Development Department (EDD).

Stanislaus County — with a labor force that grew by about 700 people to 261,400 — saw its unemployment rate drop from 7.8% in July to an even 7% in August. Those figures translate to a decrease of 2,200 people without work, down to 18,200.

Merced County also saw a drop in its unemployment rate, falling from 10.4% in July to 9.4% in August, translating to 11,500 currently without jobs — a drop of 1,600.

The local numbers are on par with trends statewide and across the nation. California’s 5.8% unemployment rate in August was down from 6.1 percent. The United States had its rate drop from 4.6% to 4.5% in a month’s time.

While there are less people without jobs in Merced County, one factor may be a concerning one: the labor force.

Recent labor market information shows that the county’s labor force decreased by roughly 2,200 people, bringing the total down to 122,400 by the month’s end. It could explain why the only major hiring increase across all industries (manufacturing) came in at just 200, while there was a loss of about 3,000 jobs at the local government level and another 100 in the retail sector.

Quite the opposite took place in Stanislaus County, as the decrease in unemployment came at a time in which the labor force also grew by 700 people, pushing the total of individuals able to work to about 261,400.

Contributing to the employment boom in August was the farming industry, adding 900 jobs amid the harvest season, as well as the food manufacturing, who added another 800 workers.

Each county has a similar demand for types of workers needed, according to the EDD’s online database.

In Stanislaus County, the health care and social assistance sectors remains in most demand of workers with there being currently 1,253 online job listings. Retail is not far behind with 936 listings in the county, followed by private education services with 578 active listings.

Over in Merced County, private education services lead the way with 436 active job listings. Health care and social assistance is second-most in demand with 402 positions open, while the retail industry follows with 354 openings.