Manteca’s unemployment rate has increased slightly to 11.9 percent.

The October number follows the previous month when the jobless rate dropped below 12 percent to 11.7 percent for the first time since August 2008.

There were more people going back to work in Manteca while the number of unemployed remained unchanged at 3,300. That happened because more people chose to actively re-enter the hunt for jobs.

It’s been 60 months since the unemployment rate in Manteca was below 10 percent. From 1990 to 2005, Manteca’s jobless rate hovered between 6.5 and 7.5 percent.

Manteca’s highest jobless benchmark was 15.8 percent in 2010 for the highest level since the Great Depression.

The state Economic Development Department jobs numbers released Friday now means more than a net gain of 400 Manteca residents held jobs in September and October.

The labor force report issued by the state reflects 24,500 Manteca residents with jobs and 3,300 who are unemployed.

San Joaquin County’s overall jobless rate is 13.6 percent. That reflects 259,600 people working and 41,000 people – the combined population of Ripon, Lathrop, and Escalon – looking for jobs.

The jobless rate in September for Ripon was 9.5 percent, in Lathrop it was at 11 percent, in Escalon it was at 12.5 percent, in Tracy it was at 8.5 percent, in Stockton it was 16.5 percent, and in Lodi it was at 10.3 percent.

Fueling the job growth in San Joaquin County in September were education and healthservices with a gain of 90 jobs ad government with 800 more jobs. Overall, there was a net of 1,800 jobs added once sectors that lost positions were taken into account.