Southern California adds 43,500 jobs in June, led by gains in leisure and hospitality – Orange County Register

Buoyed by increased hiring at hotels, restaurants and theme parks, Southern California added 43,500 jobs in June and saw a year-over-year increase of 400,700 jobs, although unemployment rates rose in Orange County and the Inland Empire.

State figures Employment Development Department show that Los Angeles County saw the largest employment increase with 28,700 jobs added last month and a year-over-year gain of 209,700 jobs added at a rate of 5.2%.

June’s most increases for the province entered leisure and hospitality (14,300 jobs) with additional profits in trade, transportation and utilities, professional business services, manufacturing, government and construction.

Education and health services saw the biggest loss of 1,800 jobs, but that was offset by 5,700 additional jobs in health care and social assistance.

The unemployment rate in LA County fell to 10.6% from a revised 10.7% in May and fell well below its 17.9% level a year ago during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Orange County had the second largest gain, with 8,600 jobs added in June and 114,900 in the past 12 months at a rate of 7.8%.

The biggest monthly increase, like in LA County, came in leisure and hospitality, which added 10,000 jobs last month. Much of that boost likely came from increased activity at Disneyland and surrounding restaurants and hotels after they were allowed to drop restrictions on COVID-19 masks, social distancing and temperature checks on June 15.

Other sectors that posted gains were construction (2,000 jobs), manufacturing (1,400) and trade, transport and utilities (1,100).

The government saw the biggest drop with a loss of 3,000 jobs.

The unemployment rate in the province rose to 6.4% in June. That was from a revised 5.8% in May, but down from 13.3% a year earlier.

The Inland Empire added 6,200 jobs last month with a year-over-year gain of 76,100 jobs.

As with the other regions, leisure and hospitality led the way with 3,700 jobs added, followed by increases in education and health services, trade, transportation and utilities, and professional and business services.

The Inland Empire’s construction industry lost 1,500 jobs in June, with more losses in government, financial activities and manufacturing.

The unemployment rate in the two-province region rose to 7.9%, from a revised 7.2% in May, but was below the level of 13.3% a year ago.

California added 73,500 jobs in June with a year-over-year gain of 804,900 jobs — an increase of 5.2% — while the state’s unemployment rate held steady at 7.7%.

Taner Osman, research manager at Beacon Economy and the UCR Center for Forecasting, said the state should boost its workforce.

While California’s labor market recovery has picked up significantly in 2021, there is still a significant job shortage compared to pre-pandemic levels and the state’s economy is lagging behind the national recovery,” Osman said in a statement. statement.

With extended unemployment benefits expiring, California cannot afford a delay associated with an increase in new COVID cases, he said.