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Foreign Direct Investment Adds 33K Jobs Across California
Foreign direct investment (FDI) in California increased in 2025, the World Trade Center of Los Angeles said in its annual report. Over the past year, 19,717 foreign-owned enterprises (FOEs) accounted for 847,245 jobs, up 33,143 jobs from the prior year and paying an estimated $96.2 billion in wages to Californians.
Japan reclaimed the top position in California in the 2026 report, supporting 130,008 jobs across 3,501 establishments, up nearly 2,900 jobs from the year prior. Japanese investment is deeply concentrated in Southern California, which accounts for over 70% of all Japanese FOE employment in the state,
including 50,408 jobs in Los Angeles County alone.
“As trade and investment feature more and more in both domestic and global conversation, the enduring value of international investment to California’s economy has never been more evident,” the report states. “The continued expansion of foreign-owned enterprise employment across the state reflects its sustained leadership in these fields, and the growing number of jobs supported by FOEs underscores how deeply international capital is woven into California’s economic fabric.”
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- ◦Economy
