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Los Angeles hiring spree: 145,400 new jobs in 2022, unemployment falls to 4.4%

Los Angeles County bosses added 145,400 workers last year as the local job market finished 2022 with employment at 99% of pre-pandemic December 2019.

My trusty spreadsheet, filled with state employment data, found Los Angeles County with 4.625 million workers in December after adding 145,400 in 12 months. Those hires were 53% slower than 2021’s 306,900 new workers. Pandemic era business restrictions cut 478,200 positions in 2020.

So three years of ups and downs in the coronavirus economy left the local job market with 25,900 fewer paychecks vs. December 2019, a time when nobody worried about a pandemic. Note that bosses in L.A. added 172,500 workers in the three years before the virus struck.

LA-Orange County home sales plummet 46% to record low

The hiring spree dropped joblessness. Los Angeles County’s unemployment rate finished 2022 at ended 2022 at 4.4% vs. a rate of 5.6% a year earlier, 11% at year-end 2020 and 4% in December 2019.

However, L.A.’s hiring turnabout was not equal by industry. Look at key local job categories, ranked by how much of pre-pandemic employment has been recovered at the end of 2022 …

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Transportation/warehouses: 106% of December 2019. Jobs at record 224,000 jobs after adding 8,300 in 2022, growing by 5,900 employees in 2021, and dropping 1,500 in 2020.

Health and personal services: 105% of December 2019. Jobs at record 760,400 workers after adding 35,900 in 2022, growing by 11,500 positions in 2021, and dropping 10,000 in 2020.

Business services: 103% of December 2019. Jobs at 682,000 jobs after adding 22,000 in 2022, growing by 47,600 employees in 2021, and dropping 50,800 in 2020.

Construction, real estate, finance: 99% of December 2019. Jobs at 325,700 employees after adding 7,300 in 2022, growing by 4,600 workers in 2021, and dropping 14,000 in 2020.

Retailing: 98% of December 2019. Jobs at 432,100 employees after adding 7,100 in 2022, growing by 17,100 workers in 2021, and dropping 30,800 in 2020.

Government: 98% of December 2019. Jobs at 576,700 positions after adding 6,500 in 2022, growing by 8,600 employees in 2021, and dropping 29,100 in 2020.

Restaurants: 95% of December 2019. Jobs at 378,200 positions after adding 22,400 in 2022, growing by 96,500 jobs in 2021, and dropping 140,900 in 2020.

Manufacturing: 94% of December 2019. Jobs at 319,800 workers after adding 5,300 in 2022, growing by 3,000 jobs in 2021, and dropping 28,800 in 2020.

Arts, entertainment and recreation: 90% of December 2019. Jobs at 92,500 workers after adding 9,000 in 2022, growing by 23,000 jobs in 2021, and dropping 42,800 in 2020.

Hotels: 76% of December 2019. Jobs at 39,500 jobs after adding 3,700 in 2022, growing by 12,400 workers in 2021, and dropping 28,400 in 2020.

Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com

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