In the preliminary numbers, seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs fell 6,100 in June, the 4th month to date in 2025 posting a loss. The May numbers were adjusted down by 6,000 to a revised gain of 11,700, with California showing a net loss of 23,700 nonfarm jobs in the first half of the year.
California’s energy cost rankings showed little change in the most recent data except for some easing for average residential electricity bills as California managed to fall $3-10 below Arizona, West Virginia, and Rhode Island.
The trade statistics in May once again reflect more shifts in policy around tariffs rather than economic fundamentals. Nationally, the trade deficit rose over the previous month as exports slowed more than imports, but imports remained well below recent months due to the steep variations in pre-tariff surges.
The Center for Jobs and the Economy has released our full analysis of the May Employment Report from the California Employment Development Department. For additional information and data about the California economy visit www.centerforjobs.org/ca.
After three months of losses and the 54,800 downgrade in December coming from the annual revision process, California posted a 17,700 nonfarm jobs gain in April. The 11,600 preliminary loss in March was revised to a loss of 6,800.
California’s energy cost rankings showed little change in the most recent data except for some easing for average residential electricity bills as California managed to fall $3-10 below Arizona, West Virginia, and Rhode Island.
Overall, the national trade deficit declined substantially, with goods and services exports up $8.3 billion from March and imports dropping after the recent goods surges by $68.4 billion. These results, however, indicate much of the goods movement in recent months reflects acceleration of shipments that otherwise would have occurred in April and the upcoming months.
As detailed in our preliminary analysis of the February economic data, signs are pointing to continued weakness in the state economy
In January, the California average residential electricity bill (12-month moving average) kept moving up into 6th place among the contiguous states and DC, putting us just barely behind Texas. Electricity rates across all three primary end users as well as the cost of fuels remained the highest in the contiguous states and DC.
After three months of losses and the 54,800 downgrade in December coming from the annual revision process, California posted a 17,700 nonfarm jobs gain in April. The 11,600 preliminary loss in March was revised to a loss of 6,800.
Trade flows in the first two months of 2025 were heavily affected by two factors: accelerated inventory shipments in an effort to stay ahead of the recently imposed tariffs and the annual shifts due to the Chinese New Year holiday in China, which this year straddled both January and February. Total trade through the state’s ports in the first two months was up 14.9% from the same period in 2024 in nominal terms, and up 12.7% in real terms. Both measures represent a new high in trade activity.
As detailed in our preliminary analysis of the February economic data, signs are pointing to continued weakness in the state economy
SB 684 (Menjivar) and AB 1243 (Addis) propose the establishment of a de facto carbon tax in California—administered not by elected legislators, but by Cal/EPA through a compressed rulemaking process. These identical bills would authorize Cal/EPA to identify oil and gas companies deemed “responsible parties” and assign them financial liability for climate-related costs spanning from 1990 to 2045. Although structured as corporate penalties, the estimated $51.7 billion per year in cost recovery demands will ultimately be passed on to consumers, echoing the findings of the Center’s previous report on SB 222.
In the latest data from International Monetary Fund (IMF), California—if it was treated as a separate economy—moved from 5th largest in the world to 4th largest as Japan’s economy contracted. However, Japan is projected to resume growth at 4% in 2025, while India is projected to continue moving up the ranks with 7% growth.
In the preliminary numbers, seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs fell 11,600 in March. The February numbers were revised from a preliminary result of a 7,500 loss to 21,800. The March number was the worst among the states and DC, with jobs led by Texas with a gain of 26,500 followed by Pennsylvania at 20,900 and Florida at 18,100.