Southern California bosses added 70,400 workers last year, but that job growth was by no means universal across the region’s industries.
My trusty spreadsheet reviewed the state Employment Development Department’s annual revision of jobs data, finding an average 0.9% job growth in 2024 for Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Now that’s an improvement on 2023’s addition of 51,300 local workers, or 0.7% growth. But since 2010, the region averaged 109,000 new workers per year, or 1.5% growth.
For 2024, an average 7.98 million local workers were on the job, a tally that reflects a 14,200 reduction in the region’s total employment from the recount.
Just so you know, monthly job figures are derived from employer surveys. They’re regularly updated at this time of year based on statistics taken from the far more detailed unemployment insurance filings.
So what do these revised figures tell us about which Southern California industries added the most workers in 2024?
Who hired
Healthcare: 36,000 jobs were added, or 4.5% growth, to an average 830,600. That’s after a 3,500 upward revision. The aging population needs more medical aid everywhere from hospitals to physicians’ offices to urgent care.
Social assistance: 31,500 or 6.6% jobs added to 509,100 – after an 4,600 upward revision. Bringing medical help and other care to homes boost this category.
Government: 21,600 or 2.1% jobs added to 1.02 million after a 2,200 revision lower. Federal jobs cuts and local budget shortfalls suggest this growth won’t be repeated.
Hospitality: 11,300 or 4.3% jobs added to 274,000 after a 7,900 upward revision. Tourism was strong until late in 2024.
Private education services: 10,200 or 5.1% jobs added to 209,800 after a downward revision of 800. Moves away from publicly funded schooling helps this niche.
Personal services: 3,100 or 1.2% jobs added to 265,200 after 1,400 revision lower.
Construction: 1,300 or 0.3% jobs added to 372,500 after 700 revision lower. High mortgage rates and a shortage of workers cooled the building business.
Who cut
Full-service dining: Down 1,000 jobs or 0.3% to 333,500 after a 4,200 revision lower. Financial anxieties and inflation worries slowed many consumer-facing businesses.
Financial: Down 3,600 jobs or 1% to 356,000 after a 3,500 revision lower. High interest rates cut borrowing and homebuying.
Limited-service restaurants: Down 4,600 or 1.3% to 349,700 after a 8,400 revision lower. Fast food’s controversial $20-an-hour minimum wage nudged operators to trim staffing in a challenging dining-out climate.
Information: Down 4,800 or 2.1% to 224,300 after a 6,500 upward revision. Double trouble in technology and Hollywood.
Transportation/warehouses/utilities: Down 5,800 or 0.7% to 803,900 after a 8,300 revision lower. The logistics business has cooled along with overall retailing spending.
Retailing: Down 6,100 or 0.8% to 727,500 after a 11,000 revision lower. Shoppers became thrifty as 2024 wore on.
Professional services: Down 6,700 or 0.6% to 1.13 million after a 5,700 upward revision. These well-paying office jobs were stung by corporate cost-cutting.
Manufacturing: Down 12,200 or 2.1% to 561,300 after a 1,900 revision lower. The long-running challenges for factories, locally and nationally, continue.
Geographically speaking
And here’s how 2024’s hiring varied by metro area …
Los Angeles County: Up 40,900 jobs or 0.9% to 4.69 million – after 4,500 upward revision.
Inland Empire: Up 19,500 jobs or 1.2% to 1.7 million – after 5,700 revision lower.
Orange County: Up 10,100 jobs or 0.6% to 1.69 million – after 13,000 revision lower.
Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com