Opinion
California Labor Market Expansion Continues Amid Omicron; State’s Unemployment Rate Dips Despite Growth in Workforce in Latest Numbers

Uneven Recovery Among Industry Sectors Persists
California’s labor market continued to expand at a steady pace in December, with total nonfarm employment in the state growing by 50,700 positions over the month, according to an analysis released jointly by Beacon Economics and the UC Riverside School of Business Center for Economic Forecasting and Development. California’s growth accounted for just over one-quarter of the nation’s overall job gains for the month. California’s gains in November were also revised up to 52,200 in the latest numbers, a 6,500 increase from the preliminary estimate of 45,700.
While California added jobs at a healthy pace in 2021, as of December 2021, the state has recovered just 72% of all the jobs lost in March and April 2020, and there are now 768,600 fewer people employed in California compared to February 2020. Total nonfarm employment in the state has contracted 4.4% since the pandemic crisis began compared to a 2.3% drop nationally. However, during 2020, California added jobs at a faster rate than the national economy. Payrolls in the state expanded 6% from December 2020 to December 20201, well above the 4.5% increase nationally over the same period.
“Many states have fully recovered the jobs they lost during the pandemic,” said Taner Osman, Research Manager at Beacon Economics and the UCR Center for Forecasting. “Since California is still playing catch-up, we expect to see stronger job growth in 2022 compared to the nation overall.”
California’s unemployment rate fell to 6.5% in December, a 0.5 percentage-point decline from the previous month. However, the state’s unemployment rate remains elevated relative to the 3.9% rate in the United States overall. California’s labor supply has contracted significantly since the start of the pandemic. Despite an expansion of 30,200 workers in December, since February 2020, the state’s labor force has shrunk by 358,100 workers, a 1.8% decline.
Industry Profile
While some sectors have recovered all the jobs lost during the pandemic, in many industries, there are still far fewer workers employed compared to pre-pandemic levels.
- Leisure and Hospitality led gains in December, with payrolls expanding by 15,000. This is welcome news as the sector still has a long way to go to recover all the jobs it lost due to the pandemic. Payrolls remain down 15.3% compared to February 2020.
- Other sectors posting strong gains during the month were Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (8,900), Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities (7,200), Health Care (4,700), Government (4,100), Administrative Support (3,200), Information (3,100), and Other Services (3,000).
- Sectors such as Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services and Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities have been major drivers of job growth in the state, with payrolls up 3.9% and 9.0%, respectively, compared to pre-pandemic levels.
- Job gains were broad based in December with Retail Trade (-7,300) and Management (-100) being the only sectors to post losses during the month.
Regional Profile
- Regionally, job gains were led by Southern California. Los Angeles (MD) saw the largest increase, where payrolls grew by 27,900 (0.6%) during the month. Orange County (7,900 or 0.5%), the Inland Empire (4,400 or 0.3%), San Diego (4,200 or 0.3%), and Ventura (1,300 or 0.4%) also saw their payrolls jump. The Inland Empire (84.5%) has experienced the strongest recovery in Southern California, measured by the percentage of jobs recovered since the pandemic lows. The IE is followed by Orange County (73.7%), San Diego (68.6%), Ventura (67.8%), El Centro (65.0%), and Los Angeles (MD) (63.9%).
- In the San Francisco Bay Area, San Jose experienced the largest increase, with payrolls expanding by 7,200 (0.6%) positions in December. San Francisco (MD) (7,000 or 0.6%), the East Bay (6,400 or 0.6%), Vallejo (800 or 0.6%), and Santa Rosa (500 or 0.3%) also saw payrolls expand during the month. Since April 2020, the pandemic lows, San Rafael (MD) (73.3%) has experienced the strongest recovery in the region, followed by San Jose (72.7%), Napa (63.4%), Santa Rosa (63.3%), Vallejo (62.8%), San Francisco (MD) (61.2%), and the East Bay (58.3%).
- In the Central Valley, Sacramento experienced the largest monthly increase, as payrolls expanded by 2,500 (0.2%) positions in December. Payrolls in Fresno (2,400 or 0.7%), Stockton (800 or 0.3%), Modesto (500 or 0.3%), Madera (300 or 0.8%), Merced (300 or 0.4%), Yuba (300 or 0.6%), and Redding (200 or 0.3%) increased steadily as well. Since April 2020, Redding (101.3%) has experienced the strongest recovery in the region, followed by Stockton (90.7%), Yuba (83.0%), Fresno (81.2%), Modesto (77.6%), Sacramento (76.2%), and Madera (74.5%).
- On California’s Central Coast, Santa Cruz added the largest number of jobs, with payrolls increasing by 1,600 (1.7%) during the month. Santa Barbara (1,200 or 0.6%), Salinas (900 or 0.6%), and San Luis Obispo (300 or 0.3%) also saw payrolls expand during the month. Since the lows of April 2020, Salinas (78.6%) has experienced the strongest recovery in the region, followed by Santa Barbara (74.7%), Santa Cruz (57.6%), and San Luis Obispo (56.1%).
Career & Workplace
California’s Population Decline Continues to Hammer Labor Supply

State’s Workforce Contracts Again In Latest Numbers; Unemployment Rate Ticks Up
California’s labor market grew modestly in the latest numbers. Total nonfarm employment in the state expanded by 8,700 positions in September, according to an analysis released today by Beacon Economics. August’s gains were also revised down to 8,900, a 19,000 decrease from the preliminary estimate of 27,900.
As of September 2023, California has recovered all of the jobs that were lost in March and April 2020 (the beginning of the pandemic), and there are now 436,400 more people employed in the state compared to pre-pandemic February 2020. Since that time, total nonfarm employment in California has grown 2.5% compared to a 3.0% increase nationally. On an annual basis, California increased payrolls by 1.7% from September 2022 to September 2023, trailing the 2.1% increase at the national level over the same period.
California’s unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.7% in the latest numbers, up 0.1 percentage points from the previous month. The state’s unemployment rate remains elevated relative to the 3.8% rate in the United States overall. Moreover, California continues to struggle with its labor supply, which fell by 17,700 in September, a decrease of 0.1% on a month-over-month basis. Since February 2020, the state’s labor force has contracted by 216,300 workers, a 1.1% decline.
“Census figures released this week reveal the extent to which households continue to leave California,” said Taner Osman, Research Manager at Beacon Economics. “The state’s population has fallen by half a million people over the past three years and this is filtering through to the economy, where the labor force has shrunk and employers are struggling to find workers.”
Industry Profile
- At the industry level, job gains were mixed in the latest numbers. The Health Care sector led the way with payrolls expanding by 18,200, an increase of 0.7% on a month-over-month basis. With these gains, Health Care payrolls are now 9.6% above their pre-pandemic peak.
- Leisure and Hospitality was the next best-performing sector, adding 11,300 jobs, a month-over-month increase of 0.5%. With these gains Leisure and Hospitality payrolls are now 0.4%, or 8,500 jobs, above their pre-pandemic peak.
- Other sectors posting strong gains during the month were Retail Trade (3,100 or 0.2%), Construction (2,200 or 0.2%), Real Estate (600 or 0.2%), and Management (500 or 0.2%).
- Payrolls decreased in a handful of sectors in September. Information experienced the largest declines, with payrolls falling by 7,300, a contraction of 1.3% on a month-over-month basis. However, this decline was driven by the strikes in the Motion Picture and Sound Recording sub-sector, which has shed 30,800 positions over the last year, a 18.2% decline.
- Other sectors posting declines during the month were Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (-5,900 or -0.4%), Administrative Support (-5,500 or -0.5%), Manufacturing (-4,600 or -0.3%), Finance and Insurance (-2,200 or -0.4%), Other Services (-1,100 or -0.2%), and Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities (-500 or -0.1%).
Regional Profile
- Regionally, job gains were led by Southern California in September. Los Angeles (MD) experienced the largest increase, with payrolls growing by 8,700 (0.2%) during the month. The Inland Empire (5,900 or 0.4%), Orange County (5,400 or 0.3%), San Diego (1,400 or 0.1%), and Ventura (800 or 0.3%) also enjoyed job gains. Over the past year, Orange County (2.1%) has seen the fastest job growth in the region, followed by Los Angeles (MD) (2.0%), El Centro (1.8%), Ventura (1.7%), San Diego (1.5%), and the Inland Empire (0.7%).
- In the San Francisco Bay Area, growth was mixed. San Rafael (MD) (1,000 or 0.9%) and Santa Rosa (1,00 or 0.5%) enjoyed the largest increase during the month. Vallejo (600 or 0.4%) also saw payrolls expand. On the other hand, San Francisco (MD) (-4,100 or -0.3%), San Jose (-1,800 or -0.2%), the East Bay (-1,600 or -0.1%), and Napa (-300 or -0.4%) all experienced payroll declines during the month. Over the past 12 months, Santa Rosa (3.4%) has had the fastest job growth in the region, followed by San Rafael (MD) (3.0%), the East Bay (2.0%), Vallejo (1.9%), San Francisco (MD) (1.4%), San Jose (1.3%), and Napa (0.5%).
- In the Central Valley, Sacramento experienced the largest monthly job gains with payrolls expanding by 2,200 (0.2%) positions in September. Payrolls in Bakersfield (700 or 0.2%), Modesto (700 or 0.4%), Redding (500 or 0.7%), Visalia (400 or 0.3%), Stockton (200 or 0.1%), and Chico (100 or 0.1%) also jumped during the month. On the other hand, Madera (-300 or -0.7%) and Merced (-100 or -0.1%) had payrolls decline. Over the past year, Yuba (2.6%) has enjoyed the fastest growth, followed by Hanford (2.4%), Fresno (2.3%), Sacramento (2.1%), Visalia (1.4%), Chico (1.3%), Bakersfield (1.0%), Madera (0.7%), Stockton (0.7%), Modesto (0.2%), Redding (0.0%), and Merced (-3.6%).
- On California’s Central Coast, Santa Barbara (400 or 0.2%) added the largest number of jobs in September. Salinas (300 or 0.2%) and Santa Cruz (100 or 0.1%) also saw payrolls increase during the month. On the other hand, payrolls in San Luis Obispo declined (-300 or -0.2%). From September 2022 to September 2023, Salinas (4.2%) added jobs at the fastest rate, followed by San Luis Obispo (3.1%), Santa Barbara (2.9%), and Santa Cruz (1.7%).
Bizz Buzz
Colton Resident Receives Free College Tuition and Books Through Walmart’s Education Program

By Saul Martinez, Contributing Writer for IEBJ
#bizzbuzz
This year marks the five-year anniversary of Walmart’s Live Better U (LBU) education program. Over the past five years, the company has saved associates across the country nearly half a billion in education costs, reflecting the company’s commitment to creating a path for everyone to learn and grow. In California, we’ve seen 5,620 Walmart and Sam’s Club associates participate in Live Better U over the past five years.
One such success story is Robert Gay, who lives in Colton, CA, and earned his college degree – fully paid for by Walmart. Robert was stuck in a stagnant position at his previous company, hindered by the absence of a degree that prevented him from advancing further. However, upon discovering the Live Better U benefits offered by Walmart, he decided to take a leap of faith and join their team with the intention of completing his degree. After successfully graduating with a bachelor’s degree in October 2020, he now takes immense pride in his accomplishment of accepting a promotion to associate general manager. Throughout his journey, Robert received overwhelming support from his local team, who not only empathized with his workload challenges but also aided when needed.
Most individuals typically encounter Walmart through its retail outlets. The Inland Empire Business Journal had the opportunity to explore a consolidation center of Walmart situated in Colton, California. Our visit left us deeply impressed by the remarkable cleanliness and impeccable condition of the facility, almost reminiscent of a high-end showroom.
While on the tour, we observed the diligent measures taken by the leadership to maintain employee motivation and awareness regarding the daily, weekly, and monthly performance Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of the facility. These KPIs were prominently displayed on digital monitors throughout the premises. The Colton leadership created a mascot and call their team the Colton Eagles.
We found ourselves deeply impressed by this aspect of Walmart, which is often hidden from public view. Walmart unquestionably stands out as a company that not only offers excellent career opportunities but also boasts a remarkable 100% tuition reimbursement program. If you are seeking a career in the Inland Empire, this proves to be an exceptional workplace choice.
Whether someone is chasing their first job or the opportunity that will define their career, Walmart is committed to creating pathways of opportunity for everyone.
Economy
The Recession That Didn’t Happen… And Why Most Forecasters Got It Wrong
-
Bizz Buzz4 months ago
Hernandez resigns as County CEO; Snoke will continue filling in pending Board action
-
Commercial Real Estate6 months ago
Progressive Real Estate Partners Arranges $6.5M Sale of Land for New Home Development in Upland, CA
-
Business6 months ago
Navigating the Digital Frontier: The 2023 Cybersecurity Update
-
Economy4 months ago
The Recession That Didn’t Happen… And Why Most Forecasters Got It Wrong
-
Business6 months ago
Thriving Without the Status: Local Small Business Owner Shares his Journey as an Undocumented Entrepreneur
-
Business3 months ago
Inland Empire Regional Chamber of Commerce to Lead California Delegation at GITEX GLOBAL 2023 in Dubai