The Bay Area and California produced only small job gains during August, a new government report released Friday shows — another warning sign that job markets statewide and in this region have begun to stall.

California also has the nation’s highest unemployment rate among the 50 states and is one of only five states with a jobless rate of 5.0% or greater. The state’s jobless rate has been climbing slowly but steadily.

“While the economy hasn’t fallen off a cliff, we’ve clearly shifted to neutral,” said Jeff Bellisario, executive director of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute.

The Bay Area added 200 jobs in August, primarily because of a hiring upswing in the San Francisco-San Mateo region and despite a significant loss of jobs in the South Bay, according to reports released by t

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