Economy

California’s unemployment rate dropped slightly in February, as state employers added an estimated non-agricultural 141,000 jobs. The state’s 8.5 unemployment rate last month was a 0.5 percent decline from February, well above the national rate of 6.2 percent, according to data released today by the California Employment Development Department. February’s …

The number of small businesses still operating in five of California’s major markets remains below pre-COVID 19 levels, according to a report. San Francisco has suffered a 50.5 percent drop in the number of small businesses that have remained up and running since the pandemic hit one year ago, the highest …

February was one of the best months ever for manufacturing in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, and all signs point to continued improvement. The battle hasn’t been won, but the worst of the crisis, – at least for the local manufacturing sector – could be in the past.  It might …

In the next year or two, the two-county region is more likely to experience high inflation than a return to low unemployment, says Jay Prag, a clinical professor at Claremont Graduate University. Nationally, he’s not encouraged by what he’s seen so far of the Biden Administration.  Recovery from the pandemic-related …

The Inland Empire’s manufacturing sector expanded for the fifth consecutive month in January. Last month’s purchasing managers index for the two-county region was 52.5, up from 50.6 in December, according to data released yesterday by Institute of Applied Research and Policy Analysis at Cal State San Bernardino. Anything above 50 …

Some are thriving, although the problems caused by the worst public health crisis in a century has caused some businesses to rethink themselves and even change course. One businesswoman, Wendy King of OEM Supply King, compared the first months of the pandemic to the Wild West. In normal times, 2020 …