Longtime Inland Empire economist John Husing put out his latest economic forecast Tuesday with a prediction that during 2021 the region will regain most jobs lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Leading the recovery this year will be growth in logistics, construction and healthcare wrote Husing in his newsletter. According to Inland News Today, Husing predicts this year will see jobs numbers just below pre-pandemic or 2019 levels.
Lower-paying sectors like retail, service and tourism were hardest hit by the pandemic with over 65,000 jobs lost in 2020. Husing notes this has worsened the region’s income inequality.