The unemployment rate in San Diego County was 4.2 percent last month, down from 4.5 percent in January and below the 4.8 percent recorded in the same period last year, the state Employment Development Department reported Friday.
The rate is near a post-recession low, trailing only December's 4.1 percent mark, according to EDD data.
San Diego's figure compares to 5.2 percent for California, and 4.9 percent for the U.S. as a whole. Neither the state or nationwide figures are seasonally adjusted.
"February's data shows unemployment rates dropping for the majority of jurisdictions in the region," said Phil Blair, of Manpower Staffing San Diego.
"Meanwhile, job posting intensity has steadily declined suggesting that employers are filling jobs more rapidly," Blair said. "Management, training and communications are among the most in-demand skills in current job postings."
Monthly job gains were seen in February in administrative and support services, around 2,000; local government education, 1,500; and healthcare and social assistance, around 1,100. Post-holiday retail job cutbacks continued last month, with 3,400 positions lost, the agency reported.
The region gained 26,700 nonfarm jobs since February 2016, according to the EDD.
The annual increases were led by construction and contracting, 4,000 jobs; local government education, 3,400; and ambulatory healthcare services, 3,000.
In February, 66,500 San Diegans were jobless, or 8,900 fewer than a year ago, out of a civilian labor force of nearly 1.57 million people.
