Inland Empire/Desert

The Inland Empire/Desert Center of Excellence (IE/D COE) has developed a Labor Market Information 201 training series (LMI 201), now available online.

To help educators better understand how employer skill needs are evolving, the IE/D Center of Excellence (COE) has launched a new series of sector skills reports aligned with the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) Priority Sectors.

The latest employment data from the California Labor Market Information Division (LMID) shows that the region added 18,400 nonfarm jobs between October and November 2025, a 1.1% increase in employment. This growth rate is slightly less than the average November gain of 1.4% seen over the past four years. Over the month, ten sectors added jobs, four sectors lost jobs, and five sectors saw no change in job counts.

The Inland Empire’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for November 2025 was 5.5%, reflecting a 0.4% decrease from the previous month’s revised 5.9% unemployment rate.

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%. The California unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.5% in August. Nationally, the unemployment rate rose by 0.1% over the month to 4.3%, which is considerably lower than that of the Inland Empire and California overall.

According to the latest employment data from the Employment Development Department’s Labor Market Information Division (EDD/LMID), the construction sector lost 1,200 jobs between July and August 2025 in the Inland Empire/Desert region. This decline exceeds the sector’s typical monthly reduction of about 400 jobs.

The Inland Empire/Desert COE has released its latest research report, 2025 Equity Across Education & Employment Pipelines. This study is particularly exciting because it incorporates K–12 student data, which had not been included in earlier work.

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.

The Employment Development Department’s Labor Market Information Division (EDD/LMID) reports that government employment in the Inland Empire/Desert region grew by 4,200 jobs (1.6%) from July to August 2025. The monthly job gains are consistent with historical averages and were driven by increases in local government educational services (+5,500 jobs), which includes K–12 public schools