Economic Summit showcases IE as Southern California employment hub | |
Job growth in key industries such as healthcare, professional services, construction and hospitality will be key to the Inland Empire building on its position as a regional employment hub, according to a new analysis from the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG).
The report by economist Manfred Keil was released at SCAG’s Southern California Economic Summit on December 7 and notes that San Bernardino and Riverside Counties led Southern California’s post-pandemic labor market recovery. Much of that was due to the transportation and warehousing sector, which accounted for 45% of the Inland Empire’s job growth from 2018-2022.
With a cooling off in the logistics sector due to a post-COVID shift in consumer consumption patterns, Keil believes continued growth in other key employment sectors will play a bigger role than ever in the IE’s future economic prosperity.
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WDB helps Ontario company save jobs | |
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From left: WDB Chairman William Sterling, WDB Business Services Representative Carmela Giliberto, Otto Instrument Service Vice President Jerry Luttrull, and Bradley Gates, Director of the County’s Workforce Development Department.
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Otto Instrument Service Inc. was in a bind. Business was strong, but like any company in the aerospace and defense sector, Otto was facing a deadline to meet increasingly stringent federal cybersecurity requirements.
With a one-person Information Technology (IT) team and time running out, the Ontario small business faced the elimination of 18 jobs. That all changed when Jerry Luttrull, Vice President of Operations for Otto, heard about the WDB’s Layoff Aversion Program, which helps businesses develop an individualized action plan to access local resources and prevent a reduction in force or a shutdown altogether.
As a result of the professional and confidential consulting it received through the Layoff Aversion Program, Otto was able to put together a plan and secure the resources and support it needed to meet the deadline, save those 18 jobs and add six more since then.
“By the end of this past September, we completed our insurmountable task,” Luttrull told WDB members during a recent Board meeting. “Programs like this are very important to small businesses, not only keeping up with the competition but in retaining jobs locally and preventing the technical brain drain out to Orange County and Los Angeles.”
WDB’s support will allow Otto Instruments to continue to expand its business and provide high-growth career opportunities in the technical and manufacturing sectors. The family-owned business has been in operation since 1946 and employs about 100 people.
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Layoff Aversion is one of a multitude of services provided by WDB to support business growth and career opportunities across the nation’s largest geographic county. Other programs and resources provided by WDB’s Business Services Team include customized recruitment, On-the-Job Training funds, access to a large pool of screened job applicants, a free Human Resources Hotline, labor market information and customized training programs. For more, please visit our website. | |
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My first job was delivering the Boston Globe to a little over 35 of my neighbors. Everything about that seems bizarre now, but it was normal at the time. I was 12, the minimum age for a delivery person, when I took over my route. Thousands of kids around Greater Boston were tasked with making sure subscribers received their newspaper, on their doorstep, by 7 a.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. on weekends.
I was referred for the job by my brother David, himself a really good paperboy. Unfortunately, I was not my brother. I set my alarm for 6 a.m. and woke up when my mom came in a few minutes before 7 yelling for me to turn off the alarm. From then, it was a sprint to get the papers out. I would grab the six papers that went to neighbors to the right of our house and sprint through the delivery. I would then zigzag from house to house in the other direction to the corner where I would hang my bag on a fence. I would grab the 15 that went to the neighbors up the hill and spring from house to house, slamming doors and closing sections of the paper in the hinges.
Delivering papers was, for many of the youths of Greater Boston, a chance to learn responsibility, hard work and the importance of consistent effort to complete a job. For me it was a series of frantic sprints racing against time to get just enough done fast enough to stay out of trouble. Some would say I’m still working that way. Old lessons die hard, I guess.
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Looking ahead to a prosperous 2024 | |
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William Sterling
WDB Chair
2024 is around the corner, and with it comes high expectations for our region and county as we build on our role as an economic driver for California and the nation.
At the center of that is our workforce, 1 million men and women whose skills and hard work help drive business growth, provide support for their families and ultimately build stronger communities.
We anticipate the new year will see our labor pool and payroll numbers reach record levels, and look forward to continuing to provide the support and resources that have helped make San Bernardino County the place to land a great career. Please check out our website for all that our Workforce Development team has to offer.
Have a great holiday season and a prosperous new year!
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Monthly Labor Market Update | Employment levels in San Bernardino County rose again in October, led by gains in logistics, professional services, mining and construction. This was more than matched by an increase in the labor force, which is nearing record levels. This resulted in a slight uptick in the unemployment rate, which nonetheless remains low by historical standards. Across the Inland Empire, private education and health services have experienced the highest employment growth over the past year, up 13,600 jobs, followed by government (up 9,900 jobs), construction and mining (both up 7,500 jobs). | |
Inspiring Students to Make a Difference | | |
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Workforce Development Board member Cinnamon Alvarez, owner of A19 Artisan Lighting, addressed a cohort of 60 high school students at a forum on entrepreneurship November 30 at the Fontana campus of Chaffey College. Alvarez’s motivational speech focused on how life’s challenges can help you professionally by providing the confidence you need to succeed.
“I've started four businesses with a voice in my head that said, “I think I can do that,’” she said, adding that the adversity she faced as a child “gave me the resilience to make it in business."
Successful entrepreneurship, meanwhile, is about much more than making money: “It’s about making a difference. Every business’s mission and vision should be about improving quality of life.”
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Connecting Employers and Job Seekers | |
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The Workforce Development Board partnered with the City of Upland and Valued Veterans to host a job fair on November 30 at the Landecena Building. Two dozen employers participated in the event, which also offered information on resources available to veterans.
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Local employers will participate in several hiring events at the County’s America’s Job Centers of California (AJCCs) and other venues in the coming weeks:
Thursday, January 10, 2024: Hiring event, Chino Hills Community Center, 14250Peyton Dr. Chino Hills, CA 91709. 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Thursday, January 25, 2024: Hiring event, Apple Valley Conference Center, 14975 Dale Evans Pkwy, Apple Valley, CA 92307. 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Thursday, February 1, 2024: Hiring event, East Valley AJCC, 500 Inland Center Drive, Space 508, San Bernardino, CA 92415. 9 a.m.-Noon.
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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 that are available. 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, December 22: California Employment Development Department releases its November jobs report.
Friday, January 5, 2024: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its December jobs report.
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Visit our YouTube channel to view archived videos of our Business Services webinars, such as this one on communicating like a leader. | | |
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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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WIOA Title I-financially assisted programs or activities are an equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. For federal funding disclosure information, visit: workforce.sbcounty.gov/about/ffd/
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