Silicon Valley posted year-over-year employment gains in September, reversing a two-year trend that saw the technology hub shed tens of thousands of jobs.
Employment in the San Jose metropolitan statistical area rose by 6,700 jobs, or 0.8%, last month compared to September, 2009, according to figures from the California Employment Department.
The area, which includes the cities of San Jose, Sunnyvale and Santa Clara, now employs 909,700 workers.
The upswing follows 23 consecutive months in which the year-over-year employment trend was negative. The job creation has driven down the unemployment rate in the region to 11.2% from 11.7% a year ago. That compares to a 12.2 % unemployment rate for California and 9.6% across the U.S.
The positive trend may just be getting started, as 4,500 of those new jobs were created in September alone.
Companies such as Google and Intel are not only creating more jobs, they're also paying higher salaries, based on separate figures from 2009.
The category known as professional and business services created the most jobs during the past year. Within that category, computer systems design was the occupation that saw the second-most growth, with 2,200 new jobs. The fastest-growing occupation was employment services, with 2,700 new jobs created.
Write to John Shinal
