Southern California bosses employed a record 8.1 million workers in November, but there was no broad-based hiring spree.
My trusty spreadsheet peeked at hiring patterns in the four-county region and found 88,000 workers were added in the past 12 months. However, there were mixed results among local business sectors, with only nine of 15 industries boosting staffing in this period, five cut jobs, and one was unchanged.
Job losses were found in factories, personal service shops, construction sites, and restaurants. The most significant increases were in healthcare, social assistance and government.
Here are 15 local employment sectors ranked by their one-year job swings through November – from worst to best – and how their hiring habits compare to those of pre-pandemic 2015-19.
Manufacturing: 556,500 workers after a year in which 16,400 jobs were lost. That’s quadruple the annual average of 4,100 job cuts between 2015 and 2019. There have been long-running challenges for all US factory work. Will much-debated tariffs be a fix?
Construction: 370,800 workers – down 8,000 annually vs. 16,200 annual gains in 2015-19. This dip parallels real estate weakness and high mortgage rates.
Personal services: 265,800 workers – down 1,300 in a year vs. 3,200 annual gains in 2015-19. Another sign of skittish shoppers.
Full-service eateries/food service: 336,100 workers – down 900 in a year vs. 6,600 annual gains in 2015-19. Consumers are pulling back on all dining out.
Fast-food restaurants: 356,500 workers – down 800 in a year vs. 12,400 annual gains in 2015-19. A higher minimum wage doesn’t help.
Information: 219,500 workers – unchanged in a year vs. 3,700 annual gains in 2015-19. Technology and Hollywood are slow.
Financial: 362,400 workers – up 1,200 in a year vs. 3,900 annual gains in 2015-19. High interest rates hurt business.
Hotels/entertainment/recreation: 266,500 workers – up 1,900 in a year vs. 9,600 annual gains in 2015-19. Tourism is still shaky after the pandemic.
Professional-business services: 1.14 million workers – up 3,700 in a year vs. 24,100 annual gains in 2015-19. Painful slowdown in high-paying jobs.
Private education: 220,100 workers – up 7,900 in a year vs. 5,100 annual gains in 2015-19. Expanding businesses, especially K-12.
Logistics-utilities: 833,200 workers – up 10,500 in a year vs. 25,800 annual gains in 2015-19. Warehouse mania has cooled.
Retailing: 768,600 workers – up 11,600 in a year vs. 300 annual cuts in 2015-19. Folks are going back to the malls.
Government: 1.04 million workers – up 12,000 in a year vs. 12,500 annual gains in 2015-19. Perhaps hard to explain.
Social assistance: 515,200 workers – up 28,800 in a year vs. 18,300 annual gains in 2015-19. Growing demand for many personal services.
Healthcare: There are 846,100 workers, up 37,900 in a year compared to the 20,900 annual gains in 2015-19. Again, the population needs more medical help.
Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com
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