The IE Labor
Market Pulse
Monthly Analysis and Insights on the Latest Riverside and San Bernardino Jobs Data
September 22, 2025
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE MOVES LOWER; LABOR FORCE INCREASES BY 10,700
The Inland Empire’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for August 2025 was 5.6%, reflecting a 0.1% decrease from the previous month’s revised 5.7% unemployment rate. The California unemployment rate remained flat over the month, maintaining a 5.5% unemployment rate in August. While the national
unemployment rate ticked up by 0.1% over the month, the 4.3% national unemployment rate is considerably less than that of the Inland Empire and California as a whole. Last month, 10,700 individuals joined the labor force—increasing the total civilian labor force in Riverside and San Bernardino to 2.25 million people.
Seasonally Adjusted Unemployment Rate in Inland Empire, California, and US
INLAND EMPIRE JOBS UP
The latest employment data from the California Labor Market Information Division (LMID) shows that the region added 6,400 nonfarm jobs between July and August 2025—a 0.4% increase in employment.
This growth is slightly lower than the average August gain of 0.5% seen over the past four years. Over the month, nine sectors added jobs, five sectors lost jobs, and five sectors saw no change in job counts.
Figure 1 displays the sectors that gained and lost the most jobs from July to August 2025. Government (+4,200 jobs), Health Care and Social Assistance (+1,800 jobs), Administrative and Support and Waste and Remediation Services (+900 jobs), and Accommodation and Food Services (+600 jobs) saw the largest gains in industries across the region in August 2025. Construction (-1,200 jobs), Wholesale Trade (-400 jobs), Retail Trade (-300 jobs), and Other Services (-200 jobs) experienced the largest job losses across all industries.
Figure 1 displays the sectors that gained and lost the most jobs from July to August 2025. Government (+4,200 jobs), Health Care and Social Assistance (+1,800 jobs), Administrative and Support and Waste and Remediation Services (+900 jobs), and Accommodation and Food Services (+600 jobs) saw the largest gains in industries across the region in August 2025. Construction (-1,200 jobs), Wholesale Trade (-400 jobs), Retail Trade (-300 jobs), and Other Services (-200 jobs) experienced the largest job losses across all industries.
