Inland Empire/Desert

The latest employment data from the California Labor Market Information Division (LMID) shows that the region lost 46,800 non-farm jobs between December 2024 and March 2025—a 2.7% decline in industry employment.

The Inland Empire’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.3% in March 2025, reflecting a slight 0.1% decrease from the 5.4% unemployment rates seen in the first two months of the year.

While the number of job advertisements posted by regional employers decreased by 14% over the year, the number of employed residents has increased by nearly 1% from December 2023 to December 2024.

Job ads for the region’s growing healthcare industry reveal a significant demand for registered nurses. Nearly one-in-six job ads posted by healthcare employers over the last 12 months sought registered nurses. Across all industries, employers posted 12,529 job ads for registered nurses in 2024.

The Inland Empire’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.5% in December, down from 5.7% in November. California’s unemployment rate increased to 5.5% over the month, while the US rate went down by 0.1% to 4.1%. Long-term unemployment trends align with those of California and the US. The regional unemployment rate decreased by 0.1% from December 2023 to December 2024, despite fluctuating by 1.7% over the year.

The Inland Empire/Desert Region Center of Excellence (COE) has released four updated subregional workforce demand assessments, providing detailed analysis of the High Desert, Low Desert, Riverside County Metro, and San Bernardino County Metro job markets. COE Director Shannon Moran announced the release during the Inland Empire Desert Regional Consortium (IEDRC) quarterly meeting in May.

The Inland Empire Desert Region Center of Excellence (IE/D COE) team participated in the 2024 Energy & Infrastructure Sector Showcase at the Marriott Riverside Convention Center on March 20^th, 2024. The event, hosted by the Inland Regional Energy Network (I-REN) and the Inland Empire/Desert Regional Consortium (IEDRC), brought together education, training, government, community, business, and industry professionals to talk about industry trends, policy developments, and the workforce needs of the IE’s Energy & Infrastructure sector.

Michael Goss, director of the Inland Empire/Desert Center of Excellence for Labor Market Research, has been reappointed to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Data Users Advisory Committee (BLS DUAC) for a three-year term.

The Inland Empire/Desert Center of Excellence (COE) is excited to announce a new series of Subregional Workforce Demand Assessments.