Job Gains Mounting But State’s Metros Have a Way to Go

With little exception, California’s major metropolitan regions have recently enjoyed multiple consecutive months of employment gains. However, the climb back from the historic job losses of the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over.

Beacon Economics’ new regional outlook spotlights months of steady job gains in five of the state’s largest metros but delivers a more daunting context: all five regions still need to recover more than 40 percent of the jobs originally lost. In other words, the state still has a way to go to recover all COVID-driven job losses. But with consistent employment gains, it can be presumed this hurdle will eventually be overcome.