In the state’s first unemployment report for 2021, the Inland Empire continues to outpace the state in regaining jobs. KVCR’s Megan Jamerson reports the unemployment rate for Riverside and San Bernardino County dropped to 8.6 percent in January—a marginal improvement since December of last year.
After a devastating jump in unemployment at the start of the pandemic in March 2020, the Inland region has seen a decline in unemployment for seven consecutive months. Still, 179,000 people were jobless in January 2021—twice as many as January 2020 according to Inland News Today.
Over one-hundred-thousand jobs were lost across many sectors over the last year. The Inland Empire’s hospitality sector saw the most losses, followed by other sectors like government, manufacturing, and educational services.
Meanwhile, the state reported positive job gains for the region in trade, transportation, utilities, construction and mining.