Riverside County Ends Year With Improved Job Market, Unemployment Drops

Riverside County finished the year on a positive economic note, with job gains outpacing losses across the region, according to new data from the California Employment Development Department.

The county’s unemployment rate fell to 5.2% in December, down from 5.5% in November. Officials say that figure is also slightly lower than where unemployment stood at the beginning of the year, signaling steady improvement in the local labor market.

Across the Inland Empire, which includes Riverside and San Bernardino counties, the combined unemployment rate also declined, dropping to 5.1% in December.

Economists note that the decrease reflects continued job growth in several sectors throughout the region, even as broader economic uncertainty remains. State labor officials will continue tracking employment trends as the region moves into the new year.