The unemployment rate in San Diego County last month was 5.9 percent, close to a six-year low, the state Employment Development Department announced Friday.
Aside from a 5.8 percent rate recorded in May, the September figure was the lowest since June 2008, according to EDD data.
The unemployment rate was 6.2 percent in August, and 7.3 percent in September 2013. Statewide, the unemployment rate in September was 6.9 percent, and the nationwide rate was 5.7 percent.
San Diego Association of Government's chief economist Marney Cox said the trend is positive.
"In the last two or three years now our rate of growth in jobs has been above the U.S. level. And with that, our unemployment rate is beginning to fall faster and we're approaching the U.S. level. I expect by the end of the year we'll be below it," Cox said.
According to the EDD, the greatest local job gain over the past year was in the professional, scientific and technical sector, which added 9,300 positions.
Trade, transportation and utilities added 6,400 jobs in the same period, while construction created 6,300 new positions.
The past month's job losses and gains were typical for the season, as hotels, bars and restaurants cut back on their workforce while schools added positions for the new academic year.
"The local economy is up more than 30,000 jobs, in fact, more than 33,000, and that is a really solid number," University of San Diego Economist Alan Gin said. "If that holds, we'll have the third year in a row where we've added 30,000 jobs or more to the local economy. That hasn't happened since the late 1990s."
Last month, 93,800 San Diegans were unemployed out of a civilian labor force of nearly 1.6 million.
