THE IE LABOR MARKET PULSE
Monthly Analysis and Insights on the Latest Riverside and San Bernardino Jobs Data
December 2024
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FLAT; REGION LEADING IN APPRENTICESHIP
The Inland Empire’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.7% in November – no change from the prior month. The California unemployment rate was also flat at 5.3%, while the US rate ticked up 0.1% to 4.2%. Today’s reading, the last jobs report of 2024, also showed the region added 14,900 jobs from last month.
Industries that added jobs include transportation, warehousing, and utilities (+6,500 jobs), retail trade (+4,700 jobs), government (+3,500s), and private education and health (+2,200 jobs). Construction had the largest month over month decrease (-1,900 jobs), an expected decline with the onset of winter. 10,000 more people joined the labor force last month by either working or starting to look for work, bringing the total civilian labor force in Riverside and San Bernardino counties up to 2.195M people.
INLAND EMPIRE LEADING IN APPRENTICESHIP
As the region continues to add jobs and more people join the labor market each month, businesses that are able to recruit, hire, and train talent have a competitive advantage. Apprenticeship is a proven model to help employers do just that while providing workers structured opportunities to learn on the job.
According to a new report – Apprenticeship in the Inland Empire – just released by the Inland Empire Desert Region Center of Excellence, a community college focused research team powered by IEGO, there were 13,626 active apprentices in the Inland Empire. Most are in building and construction trades (69%), firefighting (15%), or personal services (e.g., barber or cosmetology) (10%). Most of the remaining 7%, or 922 apprentices, are in advanced manufacturing (473), health services (128), automotive repair (120), information technology (71), and food and food service (56) apprenticeships as of September 2024.
The Inland Empire is a state leader in apprenticeship. While the Inland Empire labor force accounts for 11.2% of all California workers, the region’s 13,262 active apprentices represent 14.2% of all apprentices in California. The report outlines how local community colleges’ participation in the LAUNCH Apprenticeship Network, industry groups, and labor unions has led to significant growth in apprenticeship adoption.
However, there is evidence some workers do not have equal access to the intended benefits of apprenticeship. Only 6% of apprentices in the Inland Empire are women, a smaller share than the 9% of female apprentices in California. Women, Black, and younger workers in the Inland Empire are underrepresented in many of the largest, highest paying apprenticeships.
This report offers a wealth of useful information regarding available types of non-traditional apprenticeships, apprentice demographics, and funding. I applaud the IEGO COE team’s effort to gather together a disparate range of sources and effectively analyze the data.
EXPANDING THE BENEFITS OF APPRENTICESHIP TO WORKERS, BUSINESSES, AND THE ECONOMY
The report identifies 47 specific occupations outside the traditional building and construction trades – including Welders, Bus Drivers, Teachers, Nurses, Substance Use Disorder Counselors, and Software Developers – that are strong candidates for apprenticeship expansion. These occupations are growing, have clear opportunities to pay living wages. Many are aligned with local economic development priorities found in the THRIVE Inland SoCal California Jobs First (CJF) Draft Economic Development Plan, which will be made public in early 2025.
This month showed yet again the Inland Empire is growing. Employers continue to add jobs. The number of people that are starting to look for work continues to increase. We know the apprenticeship model works – for both employers and workers. While the Inland Empire is a leader in apprenticeship innovation and expansion, we can do more to increase the quality, access, and impact of our region’s apprenticeship programs. This report lays out practical steps to do that. It is worth a read.
Read the full report here: Apprenticeship in the Inland Empire.
To learn more about this data or IEGO’s Labor Market Research, please email researchrequest@iegocollaborative.org
