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The emergence of San Bernardino County and the Inland Empire as a premier population and economic center is well documented. This is creating historic opportunities for employers and job seekers. A new assessment of data from the California Employment Development Department (above) projects a net gain of more than 110,000 jobs across the Inland Empire over the next decade in five categories alone.
And it appears we’ll have plenty of people to fill these jobs, with San Bernardino and Riverside Counties far outpacing the rest of Southern California in population growth among working-age adults, according to the Southern California Association of Governments (left).
At WDB, we’re committed to helping job seekers achieve their career goals, while ensuring that businesses have the trained labor pool to meet their needs.
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Labor Market Intelligence |
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San Bernardino County’s unemployment rate fell in May to its lowest level in at least 32 years as the job market continued to surge with year-over-year employment gains in practically every category. The jobless rate is now more than 11 percentage points below its pandemic high and the lowest since at least 1990 – the earliest recorded data available from the state. According to revised numbers, San Bernardino County's labor pool has exceeded 1 million for seven consecutive months. |
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My first job was working on a construction site the summer of my sophomore year in high school. I was too young to drive, but the foreman was a family friend, and in addition to giving me the job, he picked me up on both sides of a long commute to south Orange County, where we were building houses. I spent the summer nailing building straps, carrying lumber around or doing whatever the crew needed “the kid” to do. I’m not sure how useful I really was, but they kept me busy and taught me plenty of lessons. Among them: Work hard and do your best. All the time. Like it’s a contest. Because it is. When you do a thing, do it right. Or do it over until you get it right. Earning calluses on your hands is better than wearing gloves. Good tools matter, so take care of your tools. I still have the hammer my dad gave me when I started that job 35 years ago. To this day, I'm grateful for that experience. |
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Upskilling & the future of work |
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Phil Cothran
WDB Chair
Tight labor market or not, finding the right person to fill a particular business need can be a challenge. More and more high-growth businesses are finding that retraining and upskilling their current talent pool not only can fill the gap today, but better plan for tomorrow.
It starts with a skills gap analysis, and, from there, training programs that focus on filling those unmet needs. This type of approach also can help better align a company’s overall training and recruitment efforts with its long-term business strategy – paying off for years to come.
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‘I deserved to give myself a better future’ |
For Brenda Aguilar, getting to know her Workforce Development specialist didn’t just mean a new job. It meant a new life. “She helped me to understand that I am a good employee. I am a good parent and I deserve to give myself a better future,” says the single mother of two – now with a steady job at the Ontario city library, a two-bedroom apartment she can call her own and self-esteem she never knew she had.
Aguilar’s good fortune began after meeting Tamika Tonge, a Workforce Development specialist for WDB who helped her land her job in Ontario at an hourly rate of more than $20. Her previous job was frozen, leaving her unemployed and frightened. She had already moved to her apartment by then, and did not want to return to her previous life, which included getting shot in a crossfire while parking her car.
“I met Tamika and told her that I just wanted a job where I could take care of my kids,” Aguilar says. “She listened to me, and because of her, I’m where I’m at today.”
She has resumed her education at Chaffey College, while working, and is determined to pay it forward to those who are struggling.
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Left to right: Workforce Development Specialist Tamika Tonge, WDB Chair Phil Cothran and Brenda Aguilar. |
“Sometimes at work I get homeless people who just want help. I tell them, we’ve got so much help, just talk to Tamika.” |
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Connecting Employers and Job Seekers |
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Local employers will participate in several hiring events at all three of the County’s America’s Job Centers of California (AJCCs) in the coming weeks:
Thursday, July 21: West Valley AJCC, 9650 9th St., Suite B, Rancho Cucamonga. 9 a.m.-noon. Register here.
Thursday, July 28: High Desert AJCC, 17310 Bear Valley Road, Suite 109, Victorville. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Register here.
Thursday, August 4: East Valley AJCC, 500 Inland Center Driver, Space 508, San Bernardino. 9 a.m.-noon. Register here.
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WDB hosts free virtual seminars throughout the week to help job seekers on topics such as interviewing skills, resume building and navigating the employment resources available during the pandemic. If you know of anyone who could use this valuable assistance, a calendar of upcoming sessions is available here.
In the meantime, here are some upcoming events and release dates.
Friday, July 22: California EDD releases its June jobs report.
Friday, August 5: Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its July U.S. jobs report.
Wednesday, August 10: WDB General Board Meeting.
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For archived videos of our free Business Services webinars, such as this one on labor law, click here.
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Click here to catch up on past editions of Workforce Update, WDB’s monthly e-newsletter and labor market intelligence report.
If you know others who would like to receive this timely and important information, please invite them to join our mailing list at info.workforce@wdd.sbcounty.gov.
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