Reports

Summary Both California and the federal government have relied heavily on publicly and privately funded subsidies to incentivize development of alternative energies and related energy efficient products.  As the state is now considering potentially major expansions of these programs, it is appropriate to consider whether this approach as applied in the past has been broadly distributed, or instead has in practice favored specific income groups or regions.

Highlights for policy makers: Unemployment Rate Declines to 6.3%; Total Employment Climbs 35,000 State Employment Growth Rankings Labor Force Participation Rate Remains at 62.5% Nonfarm Jobs Increase 22,900 7 Industries Remain Below 2007 Pre-Recession Job Levels 6 Counties Remain in Double-Digit Unemployment, Down from 7 in May Two-Tier Economy Persists

Highlights for policy makers: Unemployment Rate Increases to 6.4%; Total Employment Climbs 59,100 State Employment Growth Rankings Labor Force Participation Rate Increases to 62.5% Nonfarm Jobs Increase 54,200 6 Industries Remain Below 2007 Pre-Recession Job Levels 7 Counties Remain in Double-Digit Unemployment, Down from 10 in April Two-Tier Economy Persists Two-Tier Economy by Demographic Group Two-Tier Economy by Demographic Group: Ethnicity/Race Two-Tier Economy by Demographic Group: Age

Highlights for policy makers: Unemployment Rate Declines to 6.3%; Total Employment Climbs 42,600 Labor Force Participation Rate Remains at 62.3%, Matching Previous Low in 1976 Nonfarm Jobs Increase 29,500 6 Industries Remain Below 2007 Pre-Recession Job Levels 10 Counties Remain in Double-Digit Unemployment, Down from 15 in March Two-Tier Economy Persists; Inland Empire Moves Up

The extent of the state’s two-tier economy is sharply illustrated by the patterns of economic growth over the past quarter century in two of its key jobs centers: Los Angeles County and the Bay Area.

Highlights for policy makers: Unemployment Rate Declines to 6.5%; Total Employment Climbs 45,300 Labor Force Participation Rate Drops to 62.3%, Matching Previous Low in 1976 Nonfarm Jobs Increase 39,800 7 Industries Remain Below 2007 Pre-Recession Job Levels 16 Counties Remain in Double-Digit Unemployment, Down from 20 in February Two-Tier Economy Persists

Highlights for policy makers: Unemployment Rate Declines to 6.7%; Total Employment Climbs 48.000 Nonfarm Jobs Increase 29,400 One in Five Remain Employed in Part Time Work Jobs Growth Adjusted for Population Near National Average 7 Industries Remain Below 2007 Pre-Recession Job Levels 20 Counties Remain in Double-Digit Unemployment, Up from a Revised 22 in January Wage Growth in Q3 2014 Two-Tier Economy Persists Data Revisions and Updates

Highlights for policy makers: EDD Data Revisions Unemployment Rate Declines to 6.9%; Total Employment Climbs 54,000 Nonfarm Jobs Increase 53,100 Effect of EDD’s Job Revisions 21 Counties Remain in Double-Digit Unemployment, Up from a Revised 17 in December Two-Tier Economy Persists Data Revisions and Updates

The policy interest in Green Jobs is not new to California. For at least 4 decades, the growing body of regulation in our state continues to be justified in part for its potential to spark technology innovations and entrepreneurship that in turn lead to creation of new industries to offset in whole or in part the cost of those rules on both consumers and businesses. The concept behind this focus is that through broader adoption of California rules, economies of scale eventually will be achieved and thereby lower overall costs for all. This policy concept runs through California’s current climate change and energy policies just as it did earlier in the 1970s when the state first attempted to regulate its way to a broader reliance on alternative energies.

Highlights for policy makers: Unemployment Rate Declines to 7.0%; Total Employment Climbs 40,000 Labor Force Participation Rate Stays Level but Remains at 1976 Levels One in Five Employed are in Part Time Work Nonfarm Jobs Increase 700 Jobs Growth Adjusted for Population Near National Average 6 Industries Remain Below 2007 Pre-Recession Job Levels 15 Counties Remain in Double-Digit Unemployment, Up from 12 in November Two-Tier Economy Persists Data Revisions and Updates

Highlights for policy makers: Unemployment Rate Declines to 7.2%; Total Employment Climbs 70,700 Labor Force Participation Rate Remains at 1976 Levels 1/5 of Total Employed in Part Time Work Nonfarm Jobs Increase 90,100 Jobs Growth Adjusted for Population Near National Average 5 Industries Remain Below 2007 Pre-Recession Job Levels Second Largest Job Growth in Jobs Paying Average Annual Wage of $14.3k 12 Counties Remain in Double-Digit Unemployment, Up from 8 in October Two-Tier Economy Persists

Highlights for policy makers: Unemployment Rate Improves to 7.3%; Total Employment Climbs 89,800 Labor Force Participation Rate Remains at 1976 Levels 1/5 of Total Employed in Part Time Work Nonfarm Jobs Increase 41,500 7 Industries Remain Below 2007 Pre-Recession Job Levels; 12 Above 8 Counties Remain in Double-Digit Unemployment, Up from 6 in September Two-Tier Economy Persists 2013 County & Regional Personal Income Data Available

Highlights for policy makers: Unemployment Rate Holds at 7.3%; Total Employment Climbs 83,400 Labor Force Participation Rate Remains at 1976 Levels 1/5 of Total Employed in Part Time Work Nonfarm Jobs Decrease 9,800 7 Industries Remain Below 2007 Pre-Recession Job Levels; 12 Above 6 Counties Remain in Double-Digit Unemployment, Improved from 11 in August Two-Tier Economy Persists

Highlights for policy makers: Unemployment Rate Holds at 7.4%; Total Employment Climbs 15,300 Labor Force Participation Rate Remains At Lowest Level Since 1976 Nonfarm Jobs Increase 70,900 8 Industries Remain Below 2007 Pre-Recession Job Levels; 11 Above 11 Counties Remain in Double-Digit Unemployment, Improved from 16 in August The Two-Tiered Economic Recovery Persists

Highlights for policy makers: Unemployment Rate Remains the Same at 7.4%; Total Employment Declines 31,400 Labor Force Participation Rate Declines 0.2%; At Lowest Level Since 1976 Change in Nonfarm Jobs Dominated by Seasonal Factors 8 Industries Remain Below 2007 Pre-Recession Job Levels; 11 Above The Two-Tiered Economic Recovery Persists, 17 Counties Continue to Experience Double-digit Unemployment