Inland job growth better than state’s

Job growth in the Inland Empire is outperforming California’s job growth, as well as some of the state’s larger metropolitan areas.

Employment grew 2.6 percent last year in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, compared with 2.2 percent growth statewide, according to report by the non-profit Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

Los Angeles County’s employment growth last year was 1.9 percent, according to the report, which based its findings on data from the state Economic Development Department.

There were 1.26 million jobs in the region last year, down slightly from its pre-recession peak of 1.29 million jobs, but the report predicts a full job recovery for the region by the end of this year.