California added 15,000 non-agricultural jobs in December, compared with a revised 9,600 jobs added in November, the state Employment Development Department reported. Seven of California’s 11 industry sectors gained jobs during December, with leisure and hospitality (+7,500) the highest-gaining industry group, the EDD reported. The state’s unemployment rate went up …
Read More »Inland Empire economy braces for 2025
Heading into 2025, the Inland Empire economy appears to be in relatively good shape. In November, the region’s unemployment rate was 5.3 percent, according to most recent data available from the state Employment Development Department. That’s not an outstanding number, but it matches California’s unemployment rate in 2024, and it’s …
Read More »Retail sales were strong in December
U.S. retail sales were strong in December, helped by two holiday shopping days during Thanksgiving weekend that fell during the last month of the year, according to National Retail Federation. Total retail sales, not counting automobiles and gasoline were up 1.7 percent seasonally adjusted month-over-month and up 7.2 percent unadjusted …
Read More »IE manufacturing suffers major one-month decline
Inland Empire manufacturing ended 2024 on a down note. The region’s purchasing managers index in December was 42.5, down from 55.5 in November, according to the Institute of Applied Research and Policy Analysis at Cal State San Bernardino. That was the first time since July the index fell below 50, …
Read More »State adds jobs in November
California added 11,000 non-agricultural jobs in November, topping a revised 9,100 jobs gained during the previous month, according to data released Dec. 20. The state’s unemployment rate remained at 5.4 percent, as the state added jobs for the 55th straight month, the state Employment Develop Development Department reported. Except for …
Read More »Shoppers prep for end of Xmas shopping
An estimated 157 million people are expected to shop on Dec. 21, the last Saturday before Christmas, according to the National Retail Federation. That estimate is up from 141.9 million “Super Saturday” shoppers in 2023 and it’s the second-highest number after 2022’s 158.5 million shoppers on that day, the Washington, …
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