California Job Growth Steady, Technology Jobs Dominate
California has been a major player in helping the nation's economy grow, according to a new report by the UCLA Anderson Forecast. The state's employment growth has consistently been in the top ten, with only Utah showing bigger gains over the last year.
"The increase in jobs has been widespread, but the strength of the economy finds its roots in California's technology and knowledge-laden sectors," UCLA Anderson Forecast senior economist Jerry Nickelsburg wrote. Sectors which use technology and information account for over half the job growth in the state. Other growing industries include leisure, hospitality, and white-collar jobs in the professional and business services sector, according to the Los Angeles Times.
While job growth in California is expected to increase, Nickelsburg notes that other sectors are struggling. In the construction industry, contractors across the state say they are struggling to find skilled construction workers to fill jobs, suggesting unemployed workers may have moved out of state or switched to a different profession.
Overall, the forecast called for total employment growth of 2.6 percent in the state, followed by 2.1 percent in both 2014 and 2015.
On the national front, researchers say that growth in GDP is positive but not exceptional. The numbers fall short of the levels needed to bring the economy back to trend and the jobs that are being created are not necessarily the jobs that will ensure workers a secure future.
