03/28/2024

Reports » Job Reports

August 2021 Jobs Report

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Highlights for policy makers:

COVID-19 and the State Economy

The August change in jobs by wage level showed the greatest change in the middle wage industries due to the heavy concentration coming from local government education. The lower-wage jobs recovery was substantially more shallow as the result of labor shortages combined with increasing concerns over the Delta variant. The higher-wage industries continued to experience the most consistent recovery rate.

In the chart, higher-wage jobs are those industries with average annual wages above $100,000; medium wage is $50,000 to $100,000; and lower wage is below $50,000. Job data is drawn from the industry classifications, unadjusted job numbers, and wage levels generally used in the regular report section below on Nonfarm Jobs.

While both the jobs and employment numbers have been better in recent months, they are not yet at levels that would see quick recovery in the state economy. Continuing the rates experienced over the past 3 months would return nonfarm jobs to pre-Covid trend levels in mid-2023. The lagging recovery rate for employment would take an additional year.

In both charts, the pre-Covid trend is taken from the average monthly growth rate between January 2019 and February 2020. The Current Trend lines are calculated using the numbers from the last 3 months.

CaliFormer Businesses: Update

Additional CaliFormer companies identified since our last monthly report are as follows. These companies include those that have announced: (1) moving their headquarters or full operations out of state, (2) moving business units out of state (generally back office operations where the employees do not have to be in a more costly California location to do their jobs), (3) California companies that expanded out of state, and (4) companies turning to permanent telework options, leaving it to their employees to decide where to work and live.

wdt_ID Companies From To Reason Source Year
167 1Life Healthcare Inc. San Francisco Atlanta Expansions Read More 2021
168 Aatonomy San Francisco Houston HQ move Read More 2018
169 Abyss Creations San Marcos Las Vegas HQ move Read More 2021
170 Adlucent Irvine Austin HQ move Read More 2019
171 AFC Finishing Systems Oroville Idaho HQ move Read More 2020
172 AgencyKPI Inc. Los Angeles Austin HQ move Read More 2020
173 Aging 2.0 San Francisco Louisville HQ move Read More 2020
174 Airbrake Technologies San Francisco Austin HQ move Read More 2020
175 Alfresco Software Inc. San Mateo Massachusetts HQ move Read More 2019
176 Alpha Paw LLC San Francisco Austin HQ move Read More 2021
177 Alpine Technologies Torrance Michigan HQ/manufacturing move Read More 2019
178 Alto Pharmacy San Francisco Denver HQ2 Read More 2018
179 Andamiro USA Corp Gardena Texas HQ move Read More 2021
180 Anpac Bio San Jose Philadelphia HQ move Read More 2019
181 Aqua Metals Inc. Alameda Reno HQ/manufacturing move Read More 2018
182 Arcturus Aerospace Oxnard Arkansas HQ/manufacturing move Read More 2020
183 AtScale San Mateo Boston HQ move Read More 2019
184 Aviat Networks Inc. Milpitas Austin HQ move Read More 2019
185 Axiom Memory Solutions, Inc. Irvine Austin HQ move Read More 2019
186 Battle Motors Inc. Venice Ohio EV truck manufacturing Read More 2021
187 Bedrock Sandals Richmond Montana HQ move Read More 2019
188 BH North America Los Angeles Los Angeles HQ move Read More 2018
189 Callaway Carlsbad Salt Lake City HQ move Read More 2020
190 Canoo Inc. Torrance Texas, Oklahoma EV manufacturing and HQ move Read More 2021
191 Cicero Institute San Francisco Austin HQ move Read More 2020
192 Clean-Energy Corp. Newport Beach Texas $1 billion solar power/battery manufacturing Read More 2021
193 CodeBoxx Sausalito Florida HQ move Read More 2021
194 Cognito Palo Alto Oregon HQ move Read More 2021
195 Conner Logistics Fresno Kentucky HQ move Read More 2021
196 Crossfit LLC Scotts Valley Colorado HQ move Read More 2020
197 Daily Wire Los Angeles Nashville HQ move Read More 2020
198 DIQ SEO Silicon Valley Texas HQ move Read More 2021
199 DMG Newport Beach Ohio HQ move Read More 2021
200 EnerBlu Inc. Riverside Kentucky HQ move Read More 2018
201 Fantic USA Sausalito Denver HQ move Read More 2019
202 Flatirons Solutions Irvine Colorado HQ move Read More 2018
203 Fox Factory Scotts Valley Georgia HQ/manufacturing move Read More 2018
204 Ganymede Games Alameda New Mexico HQ move Read More 2019
205 GetSales San Francisco Austin HQ move Read More 2018
206 Gilad & Gilad Los Angeles Texas HQ move Read More 2018
207 Glock Store San Diego Nashville HQ move Read More 2018
208 Grinds LLC Oakland Indiana HQ/manufacturing move Read More 2019
209 GrowthPlug San Jose Oregon HQ move Read More 2019
210 GuineaDad Los Angeles North Las Vegas HQ move Read More 2020
211 H.E.R.O.S. Inc. Santa Clarita Arizona HQ move Read More 2019
212 Hall Technologies Tustin Texas HQ and manufacturing move Read More 2021
213 Haptx / Axon VR San Luis Obispo Washington HQ move Read More 2021
214 Honor Home Care (HQ2) Concord Austin Second operations center Read More 2018
215 Iron Ox San Carlos Texas Second expansion Read More 2021
216 IT Avalon Brentwood Reno HQ move Read More 2021
217 Joe Rogan Experience Los Angeles Austin HQ move Read More 2020
218 JRS Company Covina Texas HQ/manufacturing move Read More 2018
219 Juul Labs San Francisco DC HQ move Read More 2020
220 Keen Horse Training Arcadia Texas HQ move Read More 2020
221 Kinwoven San Diego Oklahoma HQ move Read More 2020
222 Lockheed Martin FBM Sunnyvale Florida HQ move Read More 2019
223 Lucid Group Newark Arizona EV manufacturing expansion Read More 2021
224 Maxar Technologies San Francisco Colorado HQ move Read More 2018
225 Miro San Francisco Austin Expansion Read More 2021
226 Misfits Gaming Group Los Angeles Louisiana HQ move Read More 2020
227 Montrose Environmental Group Irvine Arkansas HQ move Read More 2021
228 Mullen Technologies Brea Tennessee 1.2 million sf ev manufacturing expansion Read More 2021
229 Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) Los Angeles Cincinnati HQ move Read More 2021
230 National Hot Rod Association Glendora Indiana HQ move Read More 2021
231 Nexen Tire Diamond Bar Ohio HQ move Read More 2021
232 Nintendo Redwood City Washington/British Columbia Consolidation Read More 2021
233 OKIN BPS Mountain View San Antonio HQ move Read More 2018
234 Old Gringo Boots San Diego Fort Worth HQ move Read More 2021
235 Optimal Elite Management LLC Santa Clara Austin HQ/manufacturing move Read More 2020
236 PerceptIn Santa Clara Indiana HQ move Read More 2019
237 Plumas Bancorp Quincy Reno HQ move Read More 2021
238 Premier Displays & Exhibits Inc. Cypress Las Vegas HQ move Read More 2019
239 Prenexus Health Brawley Arizona HQ/manufacturing move Read More 2018
240 Promises Behavioral Health Long Beach Tennessee HQ move Read More 2019
241 Puroast Coffee Co. Inc. Woodland North Carolina HQ move Read More 2021
242 QQE Summit LLC Newark Ohio HQ move/manufacturing expansion Read More 2020
243 Quetico, LLC Chino Arizona HQ/logistics center move Read More 2019
244 RaceChip Brea Florida HQ move Read More 2019
245 Regroup Mass Notification San Francisco Dallas HQ move Read More 2020
246 RiceBran Technologies West Sacramento Houston HQ move Read More 2018
247 Samsung (revised) San Jose Texas $17 billion chip-making plant Read More 2021
248 Scollar Santa Rosa Kansas City HQ move Read More 2019
249 Shmoop University, Inc. Mountain View Arizona HQ move Read More 2019
250 ShutterFly, Inc. (HQ2) Redwood City Minnesota HQ2 Read More 2020
251 Simwon America Corp. Lathrop Texas EV parts manufacturing Read More 2021
252 Smartrise Engineering Sacramento Texas HQ move Read More 2018
253 Smarty-Pits Tehachapi Oregon HQ move Read More 2021
254 Solvd Health Carlsbad Chicago HQ move Read More 2021
255 Space Channel Inc. Los Angeles Texas HQ move Read More 2021
256 Suzuki Marine USA Brea Florida HQ move Read More 2021
257 Synergy Blue Palm Desert Las Vegas HQ move Read More 2019
258 Tachyum San Jose Nevada HQ move Read More 2020
259 Tailift Material Handling USA Ontario Houston HQ move Read More 2021
260 TCS Healthcare Technologies Auburn North Carolina HQ move Read More 2021
261 theBalm Alameda Reno HQ move and distribution facility expansion Read More 2020
262 TV4 Entertainment Venice Florida HQ move Read More 2019
263 Unstoppable Domains San Francisco Reno HQ move Read More 2020
264 Upstart Network Inc. (HQ2) San Carlos Ohio HQ2 Read More 2019
265 UroDev Medical San Clemente Minnesota HQ move Read More 2021
266 Waterlogic USA, Inc. Concord Texas HQ move Read More 2019
267 Weatherby Inc. Paso Robles Wyoming HQ/manufacturing move Read More 2019
268 Weiss Watch Co. Torrance Nashville HQ/manufacturing move Read More 2020
269 William Glen Inc. Sacramento Texas HQ move Read More 2021
270 Woodward Inc. Duarte Colorado HQ/manufacturing move Read More 2018
271 Xos Inc. Glassell Park Tennessee EV truck manufacturing; battery manufacturing Read More 2020
272 Yeezy Calabasas Wyoming HQ move Read More 2020
273 Zeiss Vision Care San Diego Kentucky HQ move Read More 2021
Companies From To Reason Source Year

Employment 1.037 Million Below Recovery

EDD reported that employment (seasonally adjusted; August preliminary) was up 57,500 from the revised July numbers, while the number of unemployed was largely unchanged with a drop of only 2,200. The unadjusted numbers show a loss of 57,300 after a more solid gain of 178,400 in July.

The reported unemployment rate improved 0.1 point to 7.5% due to a 0.3% expansion in the labor force, compared to 4.3% in February 2020 prior to the pandemic. California’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was the 2nd highest among the states, exceeding only Nevada.

The national results again were somewhat stronger, with total US employment rising by 509,000, and the number of unemployed dropping by 318,000. The reported unemployment rate improved 0.2 point to 5.2%, compared to 3.5% in February 2020.

Seasonally Adjusted California US
August 2021 Change from July 2021 August 2021 Change from July 2021
Unemployment Rate 7.5% -0.1 5.2% -0.2
Labor Force 18,982,800 0.3% 161,537,000 0.1%
Participation Rate 61.0% 0.1 61.7% 0.0
Employment 17,551,100 0.3% 153,154,000 0.3%
Unemployment 1,431,600 -0.2% 8,384,000 -3.7%

Not Seasonally Adjusted California US
August 2021 Change from August 2020 August 2021 Change from August 2020
Unemployment Rate 7.5% -4.8 5.3% -3.2
Labor Force 19,024,400 1.8% 161,788,000 0.5%
Participation Rate 61.2% 1.1 61.8% 0.0
Employment 17,600,200 7.4% 153,232,000 4.1%
Unemployment 1,424,300 -38.1% 8,556,000 -37.7%

Figure Sources: California Employment Development Department; US Bureau of Labor Statistics

In the seasonally adjusted numbers, California employment remains 1.037 million (5.6%) below the pre-pandemic level in February 2020; the rest of the states combined were 3.2% below. California was the 10th lowest ranked by employment recovery level, while 9 states were above the pre-pandemic February 2020 employment levels.

Labor Force Participation Rate

The labor force participation rate edged up 0.1 point to 61.0%, while the US number was unchanged at 61.7%. The California rate remains well below the pre-pandemic level of 62.5%, which in turn was down substantially from prior years. Accounting for workers leaving the workforce since February 2020, there were 1.9 million out of work in August.

Nonfarm Jobs: 1.029 Million Below Recovery

Nonfarm wage and salary jobs were up 104,300 (seasonally adjusted) in August, while gains in July were revised 1,300 lower. Of the total, 58% was due to government hires, mostly coming from seasonal factors related to schools but also with non-education hires rising due to historically high public revenues. Nonfarm jobs nationally were up 235,000.

Compared to the February 2020 numbers (seasonally adjusted) just prior to the pandemic, nonfarm wage and salary jobs in California were 1.029 million short of recovery, or 19.3% of the national shortfall. California tied with New Mexico and Rhode Island for the 10th lowest rate of jobs recovery.

In the seasonally adjusted numbers, two states—Utah and Idaho—continue to exceed the pre-pandemic levels, moving from recovery to growth.

Jobs Change by Industry

Using the unadjusted numbers that allow a more detailed look at industry shifts, 5 industries showed job levels at or exceeding the pre-pandemic February 2020 levels. The strongest lags in recovery continue to those lower-wage industries that were hardest hit by the state-ordered closures: Arts, Entertainment & Recreation, Accommodation, Other Services, and Food Services. The relative levels of Government and Educational Services continue to be affected by seasonal factors as schools began reopening in August.

Employment Recovery by Region

Comparing August employment to pre-pandemic February 2020, Los Angeles Region lagged behind the rest of the state in employment recovery, showing a loss of 8.9% and containing 43% of the total employment shortfall in the state compared to 29% of the total population.

Unemployment Rates by Legislative Districts

The highest and lowest estimated unemployment rates in August are shown below.

Lowest

wdt_ID Congressional District Unemployment Rate
2 CD18 (Eshoo-D) 3.0
3 CD17 (Khanna-D) 3.7
4 CD02 (Huffman-D) 4.1
5 CD52 (Peters-D) 4.1
6 CD12 (Pelosi-D) 3.8
7 CD14 (Speier-D) 3.9
9 CD15 (Swalwell-D) 4.1
10 CD19 (Lofgren-D) 4.3
12 CD49 (Levin-D) 4.3
13 CD45 (Porter-D) 4.3
wdt_ID Senate District Unemployment Rate
2 SD13 (Hill-D) 3.3
3 SD15 (Beall-D) 3.8
4 SD11 (Wiener-D) 4.0
5 SD10 (Wieckowski-D) 4.1
6 SD36 (Bates-R) 4.2
7 SD01 (Dahle-R) 4.5
8 SD39 (Atkins-D) 4.3
9 SD02 (McGuire-D) 4.4
10 SD37 (Moorlach-R) 4.3
11 SD17 (Monning-D) 4.9
wdt_ID Assembly District Unemployment Rate
2 AD28 (Low-D) 3.0
3 AD24 (Berman-D) 3.3
4 AD22 (Mullin-D) 3.3
5 AD16 (Bauer-Kahan-D) 3.6
6 AD73 (Brough-R) 4.0
7 AD10 (Levine-D) 4.0
8 AD06 (Kiley-R) 3.9
9 AD25 (Chu-D) 3.8
10 AD17 (Chiu-D) 3.8
11 AD78 (Gloria-D) 4.1

Highest

wdt_ID Congressional District Unemployment Rate
2 CD29 (Cardenas-D) 7.8
3 CD37 (Bass-D) 7.9
4 CD28 (Schiff-D) 8.0
5 CD34 (Gomez-D) 8.7
6 CD16 (Costa-D) 8.9
7 CD32 (Napolitano-D) 7.9
9 CD21 (Cox-D) 9.5
10 CD40 (Roybal-Allard-D) 9.5
12 CD51 (Vargas-D) 10.6
13 CD44 (Barragan-D) 10.6
wdt_ID Senate District Unemployment Rate
2 SD22 (Rubio-D) 7.1
3 SD12 (Caballero-D) 7.4
4 SD21 (Wilk-R) 8.5
5 SD35 (Bradford-D) 8.8
6 SD24 (Durazo-D) 8.8
7 SD18 (Hertzberg-D) 7.9
9 SD30 (Mitchell-D) 9.0
10 SD33 (Gonzalez-D) 9.1
12 SD40 (Hueso-D) 9.4
13 SD14 (Hurtado-D) 10.4
wdt_ID Assembly District Unemployment Rate
2 AD46 (Nazarian-D) 8.8
3 AD31 (Arambula-D) 9.3
4 AD36 (Lackey-R) 9.2
5 AD63 (Rendon-D) 9.8
6 AD32 (Salas-D) 9.6
7 AD26 (Mathis-R) 9.0
9 AD51 (Carrillo-D) 9.9
10 AD64 (Gipson-D) 10.3
12 AD59 (Jones-Sawyer-D) 10.4
13 AD56 (Garcia-D) 11.3

Unemployment Rates by Region

Unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) compared to pre-pandemic February 2020 continue to show Los Angeles Region with the worst outcome in the state.

wdt_ID Region August - 21 Feb - 20
2 California 6.4 4.3
6 Bay Area 4.6 2.7
10 Orange County 5.0 7.0
14 Central Coast 5.3 4.6
18 Sacramento 5.5 4.5
22 Central Sierra 5.5 8.4
26 Upstate California 5.9 2.8
30 San Diego/Imperial 6.1 3.9
34 Inland Empire 6.6 3.7
38 Los Angeles 7.9 6.3
39 Central Valley 8.0 3.8

Figure Source: California Employment Development Department

MSAs with the Worst Unemployment Rates

California had 11 of the MSAs among the 25 regions with the worst unemployment rates in July.

wdt_ID MSA July Unemployment Rate US Rank out of 389
1 El Centro MSA 18.1 389
2 Visalia-Porterville MSA 9.3 387
3 Bakersfield MSA 8.7 385
4 Merced MSA 8.2 384
5 Hanford-Corcoran MSA 8.0 380
6 Fresno MSA 7.8 379
7 Stockton-Lodi MSA 7.5 376
8 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim MSA 7.4 374
9 Madera MSA 7.3 372
10 Yuba City MSA 7.2 371
11 Modesto MSA 6.9 365