California’s EDD reports that jobs in key sectors like construction and manufacturing are down in the Central Valley in November, reflecting what is also a nationwide trend.
Kings County
Case in point is the latest employment report for Kings County for the month of November. The jobless rate in the county was 8.8%, some 6.1% higher than a year earlier. There were 900 fewer people working in the non-farm sector, but 500 more jobs were seen in agriculture from November to November. The biggest decline in non-farm jobs year over year was in manufacturing with the loss of 400 jobs. Healthcare jobs climbed 400 year over the same time.
Fresno
Meanwhile in Fresno County, the jobless rate was also up from 7.8% in November 2024 to 8.1% in November 2025.
Among the biggest sectors to lose jobs were in construction – down 700 people and manufacturing with a drop of 300 jobs.
Business services were down 700 jobs and transportation and warehouse jobs fell by 900. State government jobs declined by 900 as did federal jobs by the same number.
The big winner in Fresno County were healthcare jobs up a whopping 5700 jobs year over year.
Kern jobs
In Kern County the jobless rate fell year over year from 8% to 7.8%. But again the losses were seen in the same sectors.
Construction jobs were down 5% year over year and manufacturing jobs dropped by 2.3% in the county. Other significant drops were seen in department store jobs, down 4.2% in the past year.
Again the sector that was positive was healthcare where jobs were up 6% in the year in Kern county.
Tulare jobs
In Tulare County the jobless rate declined year over year from 10.2% to 10% while the number of non-farm jobs were up by 400 in the past year. But it was the same sectors that showed weakness with construction jobs down 500 and manufacturing jobs down 400 – similar to other counties. Tulare County saw healthcare jobs jump by 1100 year-over-year.
Nationwide numbers
Economists have noted similar trends across the country with manufacturing soft and building activity down, hurting construction jobs.
Manufacturing drops 10 months in a row
Weakness is seen in the latest ISM manufacturing report for the nation that came out last week. The report says economic activity in the manufacturing sector contracted in December for the 10th consecutive month, following a two-month expansion preceded by 26 straight months of contraction.
American manufacturers shed about 8000 jobs in December, adds the Wall St Journal.
New residential construction in the U.S. saw a steep drop in the month of October, according to a report released by the Commerce Department on Friday.
Another report from the Census Bureau says housing starts in the United States fell by 4.6% from the previous month to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 1.246 million units, the lowest since the Covid pandemic triggered a plunge in starts in the second quarter of 2020. The decline was marked for housing with five or more units (-25.9% to 347,000), offsetting the increase for single-unit houses (5.4% to 874,000). Among different regions, housing starts fell sharply in the US West- down 21%.
Beacon Economics employment analysis for the state says “while growth remains positive in California, employment levels are down 120,900 over the past year, a 0.8% decline, without the gains in Health Care. California’s labor supply is growing slowly, expanding by just 43,200 from September to November. Since February 2020, the state’s labor force has grown by just 277,500 workers, a 1.4% increase. This trails the nation’s 4.3% growth over the same period. California’s chronic housing shortage continues to be the greatest constraint to labor supply growth.The recent ICE raids do not appear to be having a significant impact on California’s labor force, however the state’s chronic housing shortage continues to limit its ability to grow.”
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